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Lewis Hamilton stacked up well in both qualifying and race trim during F1’s first Bahrain test. Ferrari ambassador Marc Gene says he finally looks ‘comfortable’ in the car.
Hamilton set the third-fastest time of the test, just behind the two Mercedes cars. But his race simulation was arguably more revealing.
On high fuel, Hamilton was the fastest driver in the field, even if direct comparisons are difficult at this stage. Ferrari are being labelled the quickest team by some experts.
The first pecking order predictions are IN!
What jumps out?
Hamilton never really looked comfortable in Ferrari’s 2025 car, which was perhaps the main reason he failed to score a single podium. Onboard footage repeatedly showed the seven-time world champion chopping at the steering wheel.
Lewis Hamilton is now setting top lap times ‘with ease’, says Marc Gene
Speaking to Sky Italy, Ferrari’s Marc Gene sounded hugely encouraged by Hamilton’s performance. He can now lap at an elite pace ‘with ease’.
Last year, Hamilton was a level below teammate Charles Leclerc, who scored all seven Ferrari podiums and won the overall head-to-head 44-12.
Ferrari are naturally trying to downplay the growing hype, arguably a departure from tradition at Maranello. Gene suspects that pre-Bahrain favourites Mercedes are ‘hiding’ some performance.
“Looking at Hamilton’s times on day three, I see he’s comfortable with his driving style,” the former F1 driver said. “You can see he’s setting times with ease.
“And that’s very positive for Ferrari, which needs two top-level drivers. Then there are the others, and you don’t know how much they’re hiding, especially Mercedes.”
Lewis Hamilton can finally be ‘aggressive under braking’ in 2026 Ferrari
Journalist Federico Albano has been studying Hamilton’s telemetry and has spotted another encouraging trend.
Hamilton is able to be ‘aggressive under braking’ in the SF-26, ‘something that was seen very little’ in 2025. This has historically been regarded as one of his main strengths.
Has Lewis Hamilton been set up to fail?
His new engineer won't be in place for the start of the season
Hamilton is working with an interim engineer, Carlos Santi, in Bahrain after a winter reshuffle saw Riccardo Adami take on a different role in the team. A permanent replacement, expected to be ex-McLaren man Cedric Grosjean, should arrive at the start of the season.
The disruption will undoubtedly make Hamilton’s life harder, but if he and Ferrari can sustain their current level next week, he is sure to head to Melbourne with genuine optimism.
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