Lewis Hamilton applauds Ferrari garage after technical setback in Bahrain F1 test. Lewis Hamilton praised the team for their work.

Hamilton: “Not a perfect day, but great team work got me back on track”

After a day interrupted by a technical issue that kept him in the garage for most of the session, Lewis Hamilton still applauded the Ferrari team for their efforts.

Ferrari experiences first setback

During the first four days of testing in Bahrain, Ferrari had stood out for both mileage and consistency in executing its programs. However, the Maranello squad stumbled on the morning of Day 3 due to a technical issue the team chose not to specify. From what has emerged, the problem was unlikely to be related to the power unit.

The issue kept Lewis Hamilton in the garage for an extended period: the British driver completed only five laps before lunch. In those few kilometers, he demonstrated the rear wing working in reverse – a “macarena” wing, as described by team principal Frederic Vasseur – which flips in an unusual way and attracted a lot of curiosity in the paddock. Once the problem was resolved, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion returned to the track to simulate a grid start before preparing for a productive afternoon session. Car #44 started on C3 tires, then moved to C2 and C1, completing several long-run tests while working on both car setup and tire analysis.

Lewis Hamilton’s words

In the final stages of the day, Lewis Hamilton fitted new sets of C3 tires in search of a fast lap. None of his time-attack runs were particularly clean, leaving him to settle for fourth place, six tenths off Kimi Antonelli. “It wasn’t a perfect day; we weren’t able to complete the full program. That said, we showed great teamwork in the garage, where everyone did a fantastic job to fix the car and get me back on track. I’m really grateful for the laps we managed to complete, and the data collected will be important as we continue preparing for the season,” Lewis Hamilton said.

Lewis Hamilton’s testing program ends here: the seven-time world champion will return to action directly in Melbourne for the season opener. Tomorrow, Ferrari will be back on track with Charles Leclerc behind the wheel for the entire day.

Lewis Hamilton’s final day of testing in Bahrain was therefore a mix of technical challenges and successful recovery, highlighted by the debut of Ferrari’s innovative “Macarena” wing and a strong team effort that ensures the Scuderia heads to the Australian Grand Prix with a solid data foundation despite the morning delay.