Lewis Hamilton has played down Ferrari’s apparent head start at Madring, explaining that the team’s previous filming day at the new Madrid circuit delivered very little useful technical information for the Spanish Grand Prix. Although the Scuderia is the only team to have already run its 2026 Formula 1 car at the venue, heavy dust, extremely low grip and the restrictions of a filming session prevented the experience from becoming a meaningful setup reference.
The seven-time world champion believes the earlier running provided little more than basic familiarity with the direction and sequence of the circuit. That leaves Ferrari facing many of the same unknowns as its rivals when competitive running begins, particularly because Hamilton expects the SF-26 to respond strongly to changing wind, track temperature, grip and tyre conditions.
Lewis Hamilton says Ferrari’s Madring filming day offered little technical gain
Ferrari’s previous appearance at Madring has naturally attracted attention ahead of Formula 1’s first Grand Prix weekend at the circuit. The Maranello team has already completed laps there with the SF-26, giving Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc direct experience of a venue their rivals have not previously driven in current Formula 1 machinery.
Hamilton, however, does not consider that experience a major advantage. He explained that the circuit was covered by a huge amount of dust during Ferrari’s filming day and offered virtually no grip, significantly limiting how hard the drivers could push through many corners.
The format of the session created another restriction. Because Ferrari was conducting a filming day rather than a conventional test, the team could not use the running as a normal programme for developing the car and making meaningful setup changes. As a result, Hamilton indicated that the only clear benefit was learning the basic direction of the circuit and becoming familiar with where the layout went.
That distinction is important given expectations that Ferrari might begin the weekend with an unusually strong knowledge advantage. The Scuderia does possess some prior familiarity with Madring, but Hamilton’s assessment suggests it should not be confused with the detailed information collected during unrestricted competitive practice. Ferrari’s broader prospects at the venue are explored in our analysis of why the SF-26 could be better suited to Madring than Monza.
Ferrari expects the SF-26 to start from a reasonable baseline
Despite the limited value of the filming day, Hamilton indicated that Ferrari’s simulation work gives the team reason to believe the SF-26 should arrive with a reasonably good starting setup. The more difficult task will be keeping the car in its optimum operating window as conditions evolve.
According to Hamilton, the car is highly sensitive to changes, meaning Ferrari will need to continuously monitor several interconnected variables. Wind conditions, track temperature, the amount of grip generated as the surface improves and tyre temperatures could all influence how the SF-26 behaves from one run to the next.
That sensitivity could make the opening sessions particularly important. Madring is a completely new Formula 1 venue, so the racing surface is expected to evolve as cars complete more laps and rubber is deposited. Engineers will therefore be working with a moving target rather than a stable reference from the beginning of the weekend.
The circuit also presents its own distinctive demands. The braking requirements at the Madrid Grand Prix differ significantly from the extreme high-speed conditions Ferrari encountered only days earlier at Monza, adding another layer to the setup process.
Hamilton sees similarities between Madring and Montreal
Hamilton identified Montreal as one circuit that shares some characteristics with Madrid, although he stressed that Madring remains very different from Monza. The Italian circuit contains considerably more straight-line running, whereas Madrid places a different combination of demands on the car.
The Briton’s most significant concern is not simply outright performance, but how difficult it may be to fully understand what the car needs. Hamilton ranked Madring among the most demanding new circuits he has experienced when it comes to interpreting car behaviour and identifying the correct ride height, placing it in a similar category to Russia and Abu Dhabi from that perspective.
Ride height is particularly important because teams must find a compromise that allows the aerodynamic platform to operate effectively while still coping with the physical characteristics of the circuit. For Ferrari, that process will have to develop alongside changes in grip and environmental conditions throughout the weekend.
The challenge fits with the wider technical picture already emerging in Madrid. Ferrari has chosen to retain its rotating rear-wing concept while some rivals have taken a different approach, with the Madrid rear-wing choices highlighting contrasting aerodynamic strategies before competitive running has even begun.
Why Ferrari’s previous Madrid running may matter less than expected
Ferrari therefore enters the Spanish Grand Prix with an unusual combination of prior experience and continued uncertainty. Hamilton and Charles Leclerc know the direction of the circuit and have already experienced it from inside the SF-26, but the conditions encountered during the filming day were too unrepresentative to provide a definitive technical baseline.
That means Friday running will remain crucial. The team must understand how the car responds on a cleaner and progressively faster track, while also determining how wind, temperature, tyre behaviour and increasing grip affect the setup window.
The difficulty may be compounded by the nature of a new venue. Drivers have already highlighted the potential challenges created by Madring’s layout, with Formula 1 drivers discussing the risk of interruptions and incidents at the new Madrid circuit.
Hamilton’s comments consequently reduce the significance of one of Ferrari’s most obvious pre-weekend advantages. The Maranello team has driven at Madring before its rivals, but the real test begins when the circuit offers representative grip and the SF-26 can be assessed under proper Grand Prix conditions.
Madrid hosts the Spanish Grand Prix as part of the 2026 Formula 1 calendar, and the opening practice sessions should provide the first meaningful indication of whether Ferrari’s simulation baseline can withstand the rapidly changing conditions Hamilton expects.
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