Ferrari have reportedly chosen the programme to follow during the Barcelona tests, where Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton will have the opportunity to drive the new SF-26.
Immediately after the official presentation and the shakedown at Fiorano, both scheduled for the morning of Friday, January 23, Ferrari will fly straight to Barcelona for the first proper test sessions with the SF-26. For the Scuderia, as well as for the other teams, this will represent a crucial opportunity to check in greater detail the correct functioning of the car and all of its components.
This approach will then make it possible to head to Bahrain for the two official test sessions, where the focus will shift towards genuine performance development. This explains the decision by the Maranello-based team, and by their rivals as well, to arrive at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with a ‘basic’ specification. The car seen on track in Spain should in fact feature a very simple configuration, which will then be modified in the Middle East to make it closer to the version that will take part in the Australian Grand Prix.
Ferrari’s programme revealed
As for Ferrari’s working schedule ahead of the Barcelona tests, the team are expected to run for three consecutive days, from January 27 to January 29. This has been reported by AutoRacer, which also revealed how the days will be split between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
The two Ferrari drivers will alternate between morning and afternoon sessions, with the Monegasque expected to be the first to take to the track on Tuesday morning. In this way, the Italian team will be able to carry out a very thorough evaluation of the SF-26’s behaviour and reliability, hoping that no major issues will emerge during these crucial early test days.
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