Lewis Hamilton back on track with Ferrari SF-26 in private Fiorano test

Lewis Hamilton clocked a fastest lap of 1:01.031 on the opening day of an artificial wet-tyre test at Ferrari’s Fiorano test track on Thursday, Pirelli has confirmed.

It saw the seven-time world champion return to the cockpit of the SF-26 car ahead of a Ferrari filming day at Monza later this month.

Lewis Hamilton back in Ferrari SF-26 cockpit in Pirelli test at Fiorano

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As reported by PlanetF1.com on April 1, Ferrari is to hold three separate test sessions over the course of the month-long break ahead of the Miami Grand Prix.

After a TPC outing at Mugello last week, Ferrari is carrying out a wet-tyre test alongside Pirelli at its private Fiorano circuit on Thursday and Friday.

The team will then travel to Monza for a filming day with its current car on April 22 ahead of the resumption of the F1 2026 season with the Miami Grand Prix on May 3.

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In a statement issued to PlanetF1.com on Thursday, Pirelli confirmed that Hamilton set a quickest time of 1:01.031 on the opening day of a two-day artificial wet test at Fiorano, which has a sophisticated sprinkler system.

Hamilton completed a total of 142 laps (423 kilometres), trying out a variety of full-wet tyres before carrying out a series of runs on a range of intermediates.

The 41-year-old will be back on track later today for the final day of the test.

Pirelli said: “The first day of Pirelli testing dedicated to the development of wet-weather compounds concluded today at the Fiorano circuit.

“Lewis Hamilton completed 142 laps of Ferrari’s private track, covering a total of 423 kilometres, as he tested various Full Wet tyre configurations throughout the morning and into the early afternoon.

“The programme then concluded with a number of runs on different Intermediate tyre variants to round off the day.

“The track was artificially watered using the circuit’s irrigation system, creating consistent wet conditions, with ambient temperatures reaching 21°C.

“The fastest lap of the day was a 1:01.031.

“The British driver will be back on track tomorrow to continue the wet-weather testing programme.”

As reported by PlanetF1.com this week, the Mercedes and McLaren teams will also take part in a Pirelli tyre test at the Nurburgring next week.

It was mark the first time since the one-off Eifel Grand Prix of 2020 that current F1 machinery will take to the German circuit.

The Red Bull and Racing Bulls team also carried out Pirelli tyre testing at Suzuka following last month’s Japanese Grand Prix, with rookie Arvid Lindblad suffering an accident after aquaplaning in wet conditions.

PlanetF1.com understands that Ferrari is yet to use any of its two permitted filming days for the F1 2026 season.

It is believed that the team is keen to hold a filming day during the April break to produce more promotional content for its commercial partners, with its current offering limited to post-launch material from January.

The choice of Monza for Ferrari’s filming day is unlikely to be a coincidence given the circuit’s status as one of the most demanding circuits on the F1 2026 calendar in terms of energy management.

The outing is likely to allow Ferrari to further optimise its F1 2026 power unit as it attempts to close the gap to Mercedes, with Hamilton previously identifying Mercedes’ straight-line speed as a significant factor behind the W17’s current advantage.

Fred Vasseur, the Ferrari team principal, recently hinted that the Scuderia will bring a major upgrade package to the Miami Grand Prix next month.

Ferrari had originally planned to introduce a big upgrade at the Bahrain Grand Prix, which had been scheduled to take place this weekend.

Following the cancellation of the Sakhir event, however, Vasseur teased that Ferrari could utilise its extra development time to take “a package and a half” to Miami.

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