Lando Norris
McLaren
Mercedes
Red Bull
Ferrari
Williams
Racing Bulls
Aston Martin
Haas
Alpine
With a new era of regulations comes a sense of uncertainty, but one Ferrari chief has delivered a ‘dream come true’ verdict following the Scuderia’s first day on track with the SF-26.
Ferrari took to the track for the first time on Tuesday, with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc sharing duties for the Italian racing outfit’s inaugural day of testing ahead of the upcoming F1 campaign.
The Monegasque took the first shift of the day, clocking in 64 laps of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in the morning before his Ferrari counterpart took over in the afternoon.
Hamilton got 57 laps of the new machine under his belt during tricky weather conditions, but it was clear enough for some valuable data to be gathered from a ‘hidden’ specification of Ferrari’s new F1 car.
- READ MORE: Several ‘insiders’ are ‘suspicious’ about what they’ve noticed on Ferrari’s 2026 car at F1 testing
Do you think Ferrari can fight back to the top with Leclerc? 🤔
Ferrari chief Matteo Togninalli says their reliability in Barcelona shakedown is ‘a dream come true’
While Ferrari’s first day of clocking in some laps was scuppered by rain showers, they still managed to get through a comprehensive run plan and secure some crucial data for their future development endeavours.
Speaking to the media, including Motorsport.com, following the conclusion of the day’s running in Barcelona, Ferrari trackside operations manager Matteo Togninalli spoke about how ecstatic the team is over the fact that Hamilton and Leclerc were able to clock in 121 laps.
He said, “We only had an hour and a half of dry weather in the morning session, while for the rest of the day we were only able to run on rain tyres.
“However, we achieved positive results by completing more than 120 laps. That’s almost the distance of two Grand Prix, and we covered it without encountering any major reliability issues: that was our primary objective.
“The team has done a great job, and when I think back to the previous regulation changes, completing so many kilometres on the first day of testing was a dream come true.”
Over the winter break, Ferrari engineers were working flat out to combat any reliability issues with their new 2026-spec power unit.
Togninalli was alluding to the ‘PR disaster’ that occurred during pre-season testing in 2014, the last time a new engine formula was introduced to the sport.
Ferrari-powered cars were only able to complete a total of 38 laps on the first day of testing that year, so it was an encouraging sign that the Scuderia were able to surpass their previous total by a long way.
- READ MORE: FIA wants ‘closer look’ at Lewis Hamilton’s 2026 F1 car before allowing Ferrari’s ‘aggressive’ idea
Are we looking at the car that will win Ferrari their first drivers’ championship since 2007?
Let us know in the comments below!
Matteo Togninalli also highlighted how ‘essential’ it is for Ferrari to get some dry laps in over the final two days
Unfortunately for the teams that didn’t take part in any running on Monday, they have been subject to wet conditions at the Montmelo-based circuit, which is far from the optimal conditions that are necessary for testing.
During his comments to the press, Togninalli highlighted how important it is for them to collect data in more desirable weather conditions get a better understanding of where they need to improve.
He added, “To understand and optimise the technical package, it’s essential to be able to run in dry conditions.
“It’s still too early to talk about performance, but we need to accumulate mileage to begin fine-tuning the setup.
“In the coming days, and especially in the upcoming tests, we’ll start comparing ourselves to our rivals: it’s always a highly anticipated moment for everyone working on the project.”
Receive exclusive F1 news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
