Hamilton: “The new cars have less downforce, they are more fun to drive”

The seven-time world champion was the fastest in Barcelona Lewis Hamilton in the entire ground effect era from 2022 to 2025, he achieved two victories in 2024 at Silverstone and Spa, although in Belgium the GP would actually have been won by his Mercedes garage partner George Russell, who was then disqualified because his car was found to be underweight. The generation of car that characterized the last technical cycle was not digested in the best way by the seven-time world champion, but the first impact with the Ferrari SF26 designed according to the new 2026 rules was positive for the Stevenage phenomenon. Hamilton finished with the best time in the Barcelona tests in 1’16″348 and, for now, he enjoyed himself behind the wheel of the SF26: “In terms of balance and understanding of the car we have much less aerodynamic load than in previous years – Hamilton said to the microphones of the official F1 website – this new generation of cars is more fun to drive, they oversteer, they run away from you, but they are easier to pick up and control. I would say that overall it is nicer to drive these machines”. In Bahrain, Hamilton and Ferrari will hunt for confirmation in a test bed that according to team principal Frederic Vasseur will be “more representative” than what emerged in Barcelona. Certainly Hamilton’s first impact with the 2026 F1 cars was positive and could give enthusiasm to the seven-time world champion after a long period with little satisfaction on a sporting level.