New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\nThe cockpit and part of the engine cover are white, echoing the team\u2019s special one-off livery at last year\u2019s Italian Grand Prix, which in turn was a tribute to Niki Lauda\u2019s title-winning 1975 Ferrari 312 T.<\/p>\n
The run was also Ferrari\u2019s chance to put kilometres on its brand-new power unit, though engine customer Cadillac was the first team to put the 2026 Ferrari motor through its paces at Silverstone earlier this month.<\/p>\n
Footage captured from nearby public roads appeared to show the Ferrari test get off to a bad start, with Hamilton stopping the car awkwardly in the middle of a straight before being wheeled off the road.<\/p>\n
Ferrari clarified, however, that the Briton had stopped deliberately to limit his mileage before Leclerc took the wheel.<\/p>\n
The shakedown was being undertaken under \u2018demonstration event\u2019 rules, which limit a current car to a maximum of 15 kilometres in a day twice a season.<\/p>\n
Other teams, such as Mercedes, used \u2018promotional event\u2019 rules that allow a higher limit of 200 kilometres.<\/p>\n
The Fiorano track can be configured to run for exactly 3 kilometres, which would allow for exactly five laps before hitting the 15-kilometre limit.<\/p>\n
It means Ferrari still has two 200-kilometre tests to deploy later in the season. <\/p>\n
(Photo by Callo Albanese\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
NOT ABOUT PERFORMANCE<\/p>\n
The car Ferrari launched at Fiorano is the same specification that will be used in next week\u2019s first pre-season test in Barcelona but will bear limited resemblance to the car that will arrive in Melbourne for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on 8 March.<\/p>\n
The initial version of the car has been designed as a basic interpretation of the regulations that will allow the team to validate reliability before chasing performance with later upgrades.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think everybody will do it,\u201d team boss Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Vasseur said late last year. \u201cIn this situation, the most important is to get mileage.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not to chase performance; it\u2019s to get mileage to validate the technical choice of the car in terms of reliability.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first focus in Barcelona will be to get mileage with the car to understand the reliability of the car, where we have to improve and what we have to react to.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you understand something in Bahrain T02 [the last test], you won\u2019t have time to react for Australia. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt means that the first target of Barcelona will be to get mileage more than pure performance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ferrari revealed at the end of last season that it had abandoned work on its 2025 car as early as April, once it became clear that it was at a development dead end.<\/p>\n
The team has used the extra time to design itself a platform that is friendlier to set up and that can be upgraded easily, key weaknesses of its attempts under the previous generation of rules.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe dedicated significant time to the concept phase to capture as much of possible of the new regulatory and technical context,\u201d chassis technical director Lo\u00efc Serra said. \u201cWe also had to ensure that the car\u2019s architecture would allow us enough flexibility for in season development.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe SF-26 represents a major collaborative effort from the entire team at the factory, and we are looking forward to starting the season.\u201d<\/p>\n
(Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
WILL THE CAR REIGNITE LECLERC\u2019S FERRARI DREAM?<\/p>\n
The 2025 season was an unbridled disappointment for Ferrari, which had finished a close second in the 2024 constructors championship but slumped to a winless fourth last season \u2014 behind even Red Bull Racing, which was effectively a one-car team carried by Max Verstappen.<\/p>\n
The frustration mounted from the middle of the year, when speculation ran rife in the Italian media that Vasseur, then out of contract, was poised to be replaced, though the Frenchman soon after signed a fresh deal keeping him at Maranello until at least the end of 2027.<\/p>\n
Rumours about Leclerc\u2019s future, however, have continued to rumble, and though the Monegasque has always maintained that he wants to fulfil his Ferrari destiny by winning the team\u2019s first drivers title since 2007, he also declared this year to be \u201cnow or never\u201d for that dream to be realised.<\/p>\n
\u201c[It] will be a crucial year,\u201d he said late in 2025. \u201cIt\u2019s now or never, so I really hope that we will start this new era on the right foot, because it\u2019s important for the four years after.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking at the launch of this year\u2019s car, Leclerc said he was working harder than ever to ensure the year could be a success.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring my time with Scuderia Ferrari we have already experienced major regulatory changes together, so we know how complex this challenge can be, but we are working with a lot of motivation to arrive on track as well prepared as possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 2026 regulations demand an even higher level of preparation, particularly for us drivers. There are many new systems to understand and optimise, which is why we have been heavily involved from the early stages of the project\u2019s development.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnergy management and the power unit will be among the most significant aspects \u2014 a fascinating challenge which will require us drivers to adapt quickly, relying more on instinct to begin with and then increasingly on precise data.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though Leclerc is believed to have a contract that could take him until at least the end of 2028, reports of an end-2026 exit clause emerged late last year.<\/p>\n
He could be one of as many as 17 drivers without a contract at the end of the season in what could quickly become a frenetic driver market depending on how severely the competitive order is shaken up by the new rules.<\/p>\n
Aston Martin is believed to be one suitor. The cashed-up English team headed by Adrian Newey is tipped to be a potential big mover under the new rules, and Fernando Alonso is out of contract and could be contemplating retirement. The contractual status of Lance Stroll, son of team owner Lawrence Stroll, is unclear.<\/p>\n
Leclerc has been dubbed il predestinato \u2014 the predestined one \u2014 since arriving at Ferrari and particularly since beating Lewis Hamilton to victory at the 2019 Italian Grand Prix for the team\u2019s first home win in almost a decade.<\/p>\n
Keeping him on-board is an article of faith in the team\u2019s progress. Losing him would be a considerable blow.<\/p>\n
(Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
WHAT NEXT FOR HAMILTON?<\/p>\n
An equally significant question for the team is how Hamilton responds to the new regulations.<\/p>\n
Hamilton cut a mentally drained figure by the final race of 2025 after completing the first season without a podium in his racing career, notwithstanding his sprint victory at the Chinese Grand Prix.<\/p>\n
The Briton has talked openly about his dislike for the era\u2019s ground-effect cars, with his natural driving style ill-suited to the aerodynamic philosophy.<\/p>\n
He was beaten by Leclerc 3-18 in races and outscored by 86 points, and he was covered 5-18 in dry qualifying sessions, though the average margin of 0.16 seconds to the Monegasque was respectable.<\/p>\n
But he was also let down not just by Ferrari\u2019s difficult car but also by a transition that was far less smooth than he would have hoped.<\/p>\n
By the end of the year reports suggested that Hamilton\u2019s feedback both on the car and on organisational structure was being at least partly ignored.<\/p>\n
Hamilton, who was integral to Mercedes\u2019s dominant 2014\u201321 title-winning era, was poached by Maranello in part to bring that experience to the team, and the apparent lack of willingness in some parts of the Scuderia to accept change is needed it believed to have become a source of friction.<\/p>\n
Hamilton hinted at the end of the year that personnel changes would be required for 2026, declaring the team could \u201cdefinitely not\u201d take an unchanged staff roster into 2026 if it wanted to be successful.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year Ferrari confirmed that it had moved Hamilton\u2019s race engineer, Riccardo Adami, to a new role away from the pit wall. Though both Hamilton and the team denied it was the case, the driver and his engineer never seemed to truly gel, and the move appears to be a tacit admission that change would be required to get the most from the seven-time champion.<\/p>\n
A replacement engineer has not been announced, but it could be a hint that Hamilton has been able to shape at least his side of the garage to his liking.<\/p>\n
He hinted at that sentiment at the launch of the new car, which he described as being built to \u201cthe biggest regulation change\u201d of his career.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen a new era begins, everything revolves around development, growth as a team and moving forward in the same direction,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a driver, being involved from the very start in the development of such a different car has been a particularly fascinating challenge, working closely with the engineers to help define a clear direction for the it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will be an extremely important year from a technical perspective, with the driver playing a central role in energy management, understanding the new systems and contributing to the car\u2019s development.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hamilton\u2019s team swap was always targeted at success under the new rules, and he has strongly suggested that his contract lasts beyond the end of the season.<\/p>\n
Another disappointing campaign, however \u2014 from either team or driver \u2014 could lead to some brutal reassessments of this blockbuster relationship.<\/p>\n
The stakes are always higher at Ferrari, and this year they\u2019re stratospheric.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ferrari has launched its 2026 car in a demonstration run at the team\u2019s Fiorano test track ahead of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":433578,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[2074,226763,64,63,689,937,226758,81121,226775,226766,226757,226768,98779,226762,13275,226776,2055,226755,226774,85399,226777,72812,220202,226764,2057,140190,817,226765,845,16236,813,816,18894,226779,226756,2105,226761,67623,18897,2328,10310,226760,2496,60350,825,647,844,226770,58683,677,133575,71067,2114,18923,12022,226767,226772,226773,81644,226771,22305,3595,2020,226759,85,21738,41547,18270,226769,226778,660],"class_list":{"0":"post-433577","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-formula-1","8":"tag-adrian-newey","9":"tag-apparent-lack","10":"tag-au","11":"tag-australia","12":"tag-australia-and-new-zealand","13":"tag-barcelona","14":"tag-blockbuster-relationship","15":"tag-brand-new-power-unit","16":"tag-brighter-red-hue","17":"tag-callo-albanese","18":"tag-car-reignite","19":"tag-cashed-up-english-team","20":"tag-central-role","21":"tag-championship-drought","22":"tag-charles-leclerc","23":"tag-concept-phase","24":"tag-constructors-championship","25":"tag-demonstration-event","26":"tag-demonstration-run","27":"tag-disappointing-campaign","28":"tag-driver-swirl","29":"tag-energy-management","30":"tag-engine-cover","31":"tag-engine-customer","32":"tag-europe","33":"tag-exit-clause","34":"tag-f1","35":"tag-fascinating-challenge","36":"tag-fernando-alonso","37":"tag-final-race","38":"tag-formula-1","39":"tag-formula1","40":"tag-frederic-vasseur","41":"tag-frenetic-driver-market","42":"tag-fresh-deal-keeping","43":"tag-getty-images-inc","44":"tag-ground-effect-cars","45":"tag-home-win","46":"tag-italian-media","47":"tag-italy","48":"tag-lance-stroll","49":"tag-launches-make-or-break-season","50":"tag-lawrence-stroll","51":"tag-loic-serra","52":"tag-max-verstappen","53":"tag-melbourne","54":"tag-michael-schumacher","55":"tag-natural-driving-style","56":"tag-niki-lauda","57":"tag-oceania","58":"tag-one-car-team","59":"tag-personnel-changes","60":"tag-pit-wall","61":"tag-power-unit","62":"tag-province-of-barcelona","63":"tag-red-paint","64":"tag-regulation-change","65":"tag-replacement-engineer","66":"tag-riccardo-adami","67":"tag-season-development","68":"tag-seven-time-champion","69":"tag-southern-europe","70":"tag-spain","71":"tag-special-one-off-livery","72":"tag-sports","73":"tag-sprint-victory","74":"tag-team-owner","75":"tag-team-swap","76":"tag-test-track","77":"tag-two-decade-championship-drought","78":"tag-victoria"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/433577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=433577"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/433577\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/433578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=433577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=433577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=433577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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