Ferrari begin Barcelona testing as Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton share wet and dry running

Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton tested Ferrari's upcoming SF-26 in a wet and dry environment at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on the second day of the 2026 Formula One pre-season shakedown. Despite challenging weather, the SF-26 demonstrated significant potential in Spain and was successfully tested under both types of conditions. The five-day private test will provide teams with useful insights on the new regulations established by the sport for the first race of the season in March.

Ferrari tackles mixed conditions with both Leclerc and Hamilton

Leclerc was one of the earliest out of his garage in the morning on the first day of testing for the 2025 season, immediately beginning dry running in the new Ferrari SF-26 until rain arrived during the session and forced the team to switch to wet tyres and obtain some extremely useful information about how their car would perform under wet conditions - something that other teams were unlikely to experience today.


At this stage, reports estimate that Leclerc completed between 64 and 67 laps in the morning session, including running on both slicks and wets, which allowed Ferrari to assess the performance of their car across multiple track conditions at the same time. In the afternoon session, Hamilton took over from Leclerc and carried on with testing, completing around 56 laps. He used this opportunity to gain further experience with the updated equipment that he will use when competing for Ferrari in the 2025 World Championship.

While weather conditions changed, the Italian team remained focused on the testing programme, and both drivers provided engineers with feedback on how to further develop their car during this early phase of pre-season testing.

Testing context and relevant incidents in Barcelona

The Barcelona test will take place behind closed doors, with limited public access between January 26 and January 30; however, in the window before the start of this year's competitive season, all teams are permitted three out-of-order test days to collect the necessary data on the new technical rules/changes (i.e., aerodynamics) before they make their first competitive appearance.

The rain in many parts of Spain affected many testing sessions on Tuesday, forcing teams to coordinate quickly to adjust to a wet session and then recover from the effects of their struggles. Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar wrecked his car during an afternoon test session, halting progress for a short time while also showing how difficult it can be to operate a car at high speed in wet-weather conditions.

Despite this, Ferrari's work ethic in conducting a mix of running, both wet and dry, during the test is a testament to the company's desire to further its knowledge of its 2026 package and its ambition to be competitive at the very front of the field this season.


Get the latest WPL 2026 updates including WPL teams, full WPL 2026 schedule, and live scores for Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, UP Warriorz, Gujarat Giants, and Delhi Capitals. Also check the latest WPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings.