Lewis Hamilton says Ferrari are off to a better start in Formula 1 pre-season testing than last year, praising the team for racking up “amazing” mileage in Barcelona.

Hamilton experienced his first dry run in the SF-26 on Thursday morning after having to contend with wet conditions on Tuesday during this week’s Barcelona test, a closed-door event that gives teams their first chance to test their all-new 2026 cars following the introduction of new powerplant and chassis regulations.

The seven-time world champion completed 85 laps before his team-mate Charles Leclerc completed a further 89 laps in the afternoon, a total that suggested Ferrari had not suffered any major reliability issues, as was the case with Hamilton’s last year’s pre-season test in Bahrain, which was significantly shortened by technical issues.

“When you go into testing you always want to get more mileage,” Hamilton said. Hamilton had a disappointing debut with Ferrari last year as he spent the entire season without a grand prix podium for the first time in his career.

“Today I did 85 laps in the morning and it was fantastic. Credit goes to all the guys in the factory who have done such a great job making sure the car has been really reliable so far.

“We had a poor start to testing last year. So considering it’s a whole new set of rules, it’s better than what we’ve experienced in the past, so I really hope that continues.”

Although Ferrari have shown good reliability so far, they look set to face stiff competition heading into the new season, with the team having fought at the front of the grid in recent years and getting off to a smooth start.

Hamilton and Leclerc look set to share the Ferrari race again on Friday, with the Italian team reserving the last of the three allowed days of racing this week before turning its attention to two official test sessions in Bahrain in February.

Speaking about what he hopes Ferrari can achieve in the remaining races, Hamilton added: “We still continue to try to get as much mileage and knowledge about this engine, the car and the aerodynamics as possible.

“We went through a program this morning and found some lessons. Charles did a different program this afternoon, which was great.

“My role is to listen as much as possible. At the end of the day, we come together and discuss our problems and the positive and negative aspects. We will then develop a plan of what we are going to solve tomorrow (as our last day).

“But we’ve got good data so far, so it’s just a matter of understanding that and making sure we make really clear and concise decisions about what to test before we get to Bahrain.”

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