Ferrari unveiled the SF-26 last Friday, the single-seater with which the Scuderia will compete in the next Formula 1 World Championship. As expected, the Maranello team’s launch event captured the attention of media and fans all over the world, but the debate quickly shifted towards an unusual moment during the shakedown.
While completing his first laps at Fiorano, Lewis Hamilton stopped on track on two separate occasions before setting off again. This immediately triggered speculation about a possible reliability issue or a technical fault, but the reality is quite different.
The key to understanding the situation lies in the regulations, specifically in the section dedicated to unofficial test days, which teams are free to manage as they see fit. Each team is allowed 200 kilometres of filming day running and an additional 15 kilometres for a demonstration event, which at Fiorano equates to roughly five laps.
“Ferrari had planned to carry out a practice start, three laps with Lewis and two with Charles, so they had to be extremely careful about where the car was started and stopped,” explained Scott Mitchell-Malm of The Race, who spoke directly with Ferrari engineers at Maranello. “That’s why Hamilton braked after exiting the pit lane and again after two consecutive laps,” he added.
“Everything was part of the planned procedure, even though panic had already spread online,” Mitchell-Malm concluded, making it clear that the SF-26 suffered no issues during its Fiorano shakedown.
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