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Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton has made comments about the new generation of Formula 1 cars that will send alarm bells ringing among the sport’s top brass.
Lewis Hamilton spent the first half of Wednesday testing the SF-26 before Charles Leclerc took over the Ferrari in the afternoon.
Leclerc finished P3 after completing 80 laps, while Hamilton was only able to set the seventh-fastest time, although lap time comparisons at this stage of the season are largely pointless.
Hamilton’s running was briefly delayed by Franco Colapinto’s Alpine bringing out a red flag, but the seven-time world champion was far from pleased with certain aspects of the 2026 regulations.
Day 1 in Bahrain and it’s Lando Norris on top! ⏱️
Whose lap time caught your eye the most? 👀
After completing 52 laps in the SF-26, Hamilton called not replacing his race engineer Riccardo Adami before the start of pre-season ‘detrimental’.
Asked about the 2026 cars, via The Race, Hamilton admitted: “At Barcelona, for example, you’re doing 600 metres lift and coast on a qualifying lap. That’s not what racing is about.
“None of the fans are going to understand it. It’s so complex. It’s ridiculously complex.
“I was sat in a meeting the other day, and they were taking us through it and it’s like you need a degree to fully understand it all.”
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Alex Brundle offers Lewis Hamilton hope after Ferrari ‘struggles’ during Bahrain testing
Hamilton offered his verdict on day one of testing, and while admitting he was ‘grateful’ that Ferrari were listening to his feedback, he suggested that the conditions made it really difficult to drive the car to its full potential.
The final hour of testing was the first time the new cars were broadcast, and Alex Brundle joined Alex Jacques on commentary that was relayed by Sky Sports (11/2 3:29 pm).
Reflecting on Hamilton’s morning on track, Brundle said: “I watched Lewis Hamilton a little bit earlier on in the Ferrari and thought, ‘Blimey, that thing’s really, really struggling!’
How worried should Ferrari be about Lewis Hamilton’s latest testing comments?
“Then I watched the rest of the cars and realised that it’s a factor of this generation of cars.
“And the drivers commented on it, didn’t they, after Barcelona? The cars are moving around a lot more.
“Lando Norris mentioned that the car has a significant amount less downforce; it certainly feels like it has less than previous generations.
“So, it will be truly fascinating to see going forward.”
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Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton suffered at two key points of Bahrain circuit
As Brundle described, all the drivers were having their own issues while running on track in Bahrain on Wednesday.
It was clear that Hamilton was struggling with his braking, but there were two key points on the circuit that impacted every racer.
The change in power units this season, and the way that the power is deployed through the battery, have made judging braking distances virtually impossible.
Hamilton had a half-spin headlong into turn one, but a large number of drivers were locking up and going wide heading into the tight right-hand hairpin.
Due to the change in battery deployment, drivers are reaching top speeds and actually beginning to slow down because they’re running out of energy, making it nearly impossible to judge that braking point.
On top of this, the extremely tricky turn 10 was catching a lot of drivers out, who were either running wide or, in some cases, turning in completely the wrong direction to avoid hitting the barriers.
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