Photo: Race Pictures

Hamilton strikes positive tone after ‘pretty solid’ first Barcelona outing

10:59, 28 Jan

Updated: 13:31, 28 Jan

byTobia Elia

Lewis Hamilton shared his very first impressions after completing his maiden day at the wheel of the SF-26 in Barcelona.

“Really proud of everyone back at the factory for getting the car to this point”

- Lewis Hamilton

The Briton took over from his teammate during the afternoon of day two, running in wet conditions and logging a total of 53 laps while gathering valuable data.

Summing up the opening day when speaking to F1, the seven-time world champion said: “Very challenging today. Charles had a little bit of dry running, but then it's been wet all afternoon, so figuring out how to get the tyres working, it was really productive. I think we got about 120 laps or something like that, given it's in the wet conditions and we had a red flag. And I think that's pretty solid.

“Really proud of everyone back at the factory for getting the car to this point. We got a lot of information on the car today. We definitely need to keep it up. Lots and lots to do, but a good first day.”

Photo: Race Pictures

Asked what he expects from the rest of the week, the Briton hopes to be able to log some mileage in dry conditions: “Hoping to experience the car on the dry, and I think just understanding balance, understanding the new SM that we have and how to utilise it and feel it. I’ve not driven it in the dry so I don’t really have a feeling for it. Obviously we drove it in the wet, which is only the front part.

“And then just understanding the deployment — I think it's going to be crucial — and understanding how to utilise the power, the battery throughout the lap and the recharging, all that kind of stuff. But I mean, we’ve done a huge amount of work. Everyone’s done a huge amount of work on the simulator, so it’s not like it’s 100% brand new for us, but we still have to go through our sessions and through the data to try and optimise it.”

Follow all the latest updates from day three of Barcelona testing here.

Leclerc delivers upbeat verdict after Ferrari SF-26 shakedown in Barcelona

Leclerc was at the wheel of the SF-26 during the morning of the second test day, getting some early dry running in before changing weather conditions brought rain to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Speaking about the car’s performance, the Ferrari driver stressed that the team’s main objective at this stage is to learn as much as possible about the new package, with lap time not yet the primary focus.

Read the full story here.

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