Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have wrapped up their two-day stint at the Pirelli tyre test in Barcelona, where the newly-formed Ferrari duo were testing the 2026 tyres at the Spanish Grand Prix venue.
On Tuesday, Lewis Hamilton took to the track in the morning before handing over to Charles Leclerc in the afternoon. They were joined by McLaren’s Lando Norris, and all Ferrari drivers continued their testing on Wednesday. The Maranello team is using an “unprecedented” setup for this event, deviating from the usual configuration for the traditionally high-downforce circuit, known for its long series of medium-to-high-speed corners.
At the request of Pirelli, Ferrari modified their car setup by stripping away downforce. This adjustment was made to simulate the next generation of F1 cars, reflecting the upcoming technical changes in the sport. As a result, Hamilton’s initial experience with the SF-24 was unlike any typical testing session and may not be fully representative of what the car will be like in race conditions. Pirelli dictates the testing program and does not disclose to teams which specific prototype tyres they are using during the test.
The British driver’s off-season testing program began with a session at Fiorano on January 22 before moving on to Montmelo for a TPC run in the 2023 car. He suffered a crash during testing last week but seemed to have a much smoother session on Tuesday morning.
On the first day of the test, Motorsport Italy reported that Hamilton was slightly faster than Leclerc. The track was quite busy, with Alpine running a separate TPC program with Jack Doohan. There were no issues for either Ferrari driver, who managed a combined total of 173 laps—87 for Hamilton and 86 for Leclerc. Hamilton set a fastest time of 1:15.93, while Leclerc’s best was 1:16.06. While details on the track conditions, tyre compounds, and run plans were not made available, these results might bode well for Hamilton’s performance moving forward.
McLaren’s Norris completed an impressive 159 laps in the title-winning MCL60 and set a time of 1:15.21, surpassing both Ferrari drivers, although again, the full context of his run remains unclear.
There was also some intrigue surrounding Ferrari’s decision to bring two different cars to the Barcelona test. This decision followed Hamilton’s accident, which disrupted their run plan the previous week. Despite this, Hamilton’s performance at Fiorano, where he was faster than Leclerc—though rain limited the significance of the comparison—suggests there is still much to look forward to in the upcoming pre-season tests. Even if Lewis Hamilton continues to be faster in the official Bahrain test, the real test will come when qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix rolls around next month. Hamilton had a challenging 2024 season on Saturdays, losing to his teammate George Russell in 19 out of 24 sessions, but the focus will be on him as he aims to improve his qualifying form this year.
The second and final day of tests planned by Pirelli on the Catalunya circuit concluded on Wednesday in Montmelo. On track were Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton alternating behind the wheel of the SF-24, and McLaren‘s MCL60 driven by Oscar Piastri. Both cars were modified to use the prototypes of the tyres set to be introduced under the new technical regulations for next year, which feature a 25mm narrower front and 30mm narrower rear.
A total of 300 laps were completed today: 74 each for the Monegasque and the Brit, and 152 for Oscar Piastri. The fastest lap times (which it’s worth pointing out again are not fully indicative due to the specific nature of the testing programs) saw the Monegasque driver at the top (1’14”971), followed by Oscar Piastri (1’15”815) and Lewis Hamilton (1’16”759). “It was a very useful session, particularly in allowing us to compare different versions of the tire constructions ahead of next season, as well as testing some of the harder compounds in the range,” commented Mario Isola, Pirelli Motorsport Director.
The Pirelli test program will continue next week (Thursday and Friday) at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit, where Alpine (for two days), McLaren, and Mercedes (for one day each) will take to the track. The final pre-season test is scheduled for March 2 and 3 in Sakhir (Bahrain), where both Alpine and Williams will be on track for the only three days of collective testing with the 2025 cars before the Australian Grand Prix.
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