Hamilton feeling buoyed by Ferrari vibes after topping Barcelona times

Lewis Hamilton says he feels “the winning mentality” within Ferrari and its personnel more than ever after completing a productive week of running with its 2026 car at the Barcelona shakedown.

Ferrari launched the SF26 last week and completed a small number of laps at its test track in Fiorano, but its first significant mileage came during the private test in Spain. Hamilton closed out the week with the fastest overall time on Friday, while Ferrari also had the second-highest lap count behind Mercedes.

“It's been a really enjoyable week, honestly,” Hamilton said. “I think a huge amount of work over the winter on my side, personal side, but then what the team have done over the winter to make changes going into the test.

"A bit of an unusual start to the week when we tested and had a complete wet day, which was not something you would normally opt for; but last year I went to the first race and the Sunday of the actual race was the first time I had driven the Ferrari [in the wet] and that was a very hard race. So it was good to have that experience and get that knowledge.

“And then just to see the mileage that we've been out to get the last couple of days, due to just so much great work from all the people back at the factory, which I'm really grateful for because having consistency, not having problems – of course, there's always small things, but we didn't really have any downtime moments. I'm sure perhaps they could potentially come over the next weeks, but it's [been] a really, really solid couple of days.

“In terms of just understanding the car and the balance, we have a lot less downforce than previous years. The car generation is actually a little bit more fun to drive. It's oversteery and snappy and sliding, but it's a little bit easier to catch. I would definitely say more enjoyable.

“We definitely have work to do to improve, of course, like everybody does, but I think we've had great debriefs. Everyone's really on it. I really feel the winning mentality in every single person in the team more than ever. So it's a positive.”

While Hamilton says his headline lap time does not yet give an indication of relative competitiveness, he believes how Ferrari improves over the coming weeks before the season opener in Melbourne will be crucial.

“Everyone's positive and incredibly enthusiastic. I mean, we're under no illusions… we know we've got work to do. Mercedes have done great running. I think Red Bull and Haas did some great running as well. So we don't really know where we are, but I think it's a solid first week and we can really build from here.

“So there may be some big leaps that we're going to need to take. Development's going to be key. Just really making sure we leave no stone unturned and we're just really clear and concise with our communication and the decisions we take. It's going to take all of us to be at our best. And I'm just seeing that everyone's really coming with new energy this year, which is great.”