OFFICIAL: FERRARI TO LAUNCH SF-26 AT FIORANO ON JANUARY 23RD BEFORE BARCELONA SHAKEDOWN
Ferrari is ready! Discover the SF-26 launch plans, secret Barcelona test dates, and Hamilton’s first drive in the 2026 F1 car.
Ferrari is almost done prepping the cars Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc will drive for the first test under F1’s 2026 rules in Barcelona.
This isn’t your usual pre-season test, though. Formula 1 is calling it a shakedown, and they’re keeping things private—no fans, no media, just teams running their new machines behind closed doors at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya from January 26 to 30. It’s all about letting the teams work out the kinks before anyone gets a real look at these new cars.
And these new cars? They’re the product of the biggest rule shakeup F1’s ever seen. New engines, aero, chassis, tyres—the works. Ferrari actually stopped developing their 2025 car way back in April, just so they could throw everything at the 2026 project. They’re serious about ending their title drought, which has dragged on since 2008.
Fans won’t get to see Ferrari’s 2026 car for themselves until the official pre-season test in Bahrain, happening February 11 to 13. There’s another public test in Bahrain the following week, from February 18 to 20. After that, it’s straight to Australia for the season opener on March 6.
Ferrari is also planning to run a third sidepod design right out of the gate in Australia. Audi actually beat them to the track with their 2026 car, sneaking in a filming day in Barcelona last Friday. Ferrari’s own shakedown and filming day is set for Fiorano on January 23.
That’s also when they’ll show off the livery for the SF-26—the car Hamilton and Leclerc will race in 2026. Don’t expect any technical deep dives, though. Teams are playing things close to the chest until the cars hit the track. For Bahrain, Ferrari is bringing a sidepod setup they won’t even use in Australia. According to FunoAnalisiTecnica, they’re ready to toss the Bahrain sidepods once the first race rolls around. In fact, they’ve got two sidepod concepts lined up just for those tests.
In Barcelona, Ferrari is keeping things simple. They want to rack up as many miles as possible with a basic aero package. For Bahrain, they’ve cooked up a sidepod with a bigger entry, but that’s just for testing—they’re not planning to race it.
These pre-season tests won’t be easy. Ferrari has struggled the past few years to match their wind tunnel and simulation data with what happens on track. They know they need to nail this correlation before the season starts.
Team boss Fred Vasseur isn’t interested in showing off or chasing headlines during testing. His focus is squarely on reliability and collecting data, not lap times. Ferrari wants to keep their true performance a secret until racing starts in Australia. With all the new engine and aero rules coming in, they’re convinced that flying under the radar is the way to go.
So, if you’re hoping to see what Ferrari’s really got, you’ll have to wait for qualifying in Melbourne. That’s when we’ll finally see if Hamilton and Leclerc have the car to chase down Ferrari’s first drivers’ title since 2007—and maybe the constructors’ trophy too.
WHO ADVISED HIM? THE MYSTERY FIGURES BEHIND ALEX PALOU’S FAILED MCLAREN F1 JUMP
Palou admits "bad advice" led to McLaren lawsuit. Get the full story on the $20M contract breach and the final 2026 settlement.
McLaren and Chip Ganassi Racing have finally settled their long-running dispute after the London High Court sided with McLaren against Alex Palou and CGR.
Back in January, the court ordered Palou, a four-time IndyCar champ, to pay McLaren over $12 million. That came after a five-week trial last year. The whole mess started when McLaren sued Palou for about $20 million, claiming he broke his contract. Both McLaren and Ganassi wanted Palou for their 2023 IndyCar lineups, and things got messy when they both staked their claims.
Eventually, everyone agreed Palou would stay at Ganassi and test for McLaren’s F1 team, with the idea he’d join McLaren’s IndyCar squad in 2024. But when the time came, Palou decided to stick with Ganassi anyway. He said he’d lost faith in McLaren giving him a shot in F1. McLaren, not thrilled, sued to recover what they said they lost in sponsorship, driver salaries, performance bonuses, the works.
Now it’s finally over. On Friday, McLaren CEO Zak Brown said, “I’m very pleased we’ve reached a final settlement with Chip Ganassi Racing after a UK judge ruled in our favour in January. Huge thanks to our team for sticking with it so long and to everyone who supported us. Now we can get back to the real business of racing.”
During the court battle, Palou argued that Brown led him to believe an F1 seat was possible in 2024, even after Oscar Piastri arrived as Lando Norris’s teammate. Palou claimed, “Zak told me it wasn’t his call to hire Oscar,” and that Piastri’s performance would be measured against his, with 2024 in mind. Brown flat-out denied that, calling the idea "ludicrous". Supposedly, Piastri even laughed about Palou’s comments.
After the court sided with McLaren, Palou changed his tune. He accepted the decision and said McLaren had honoured all their commitments. “Back then, I was being pulled in every direction and had the wrong people advising me,” Palou said. “I got bad advice or none at all. Looking back, I wish I’d just talked to Zak directly. McLaren and Zak did everything they promised. I was never misled, and I respect how they handled things. I also want to thank Chip, my teammates, and everyone at Ganassi for their support. I’ve learned a lot from this. I’m glad it’s settled and grateful to everyone who helped reach this point. Now I just want to focus on racing, where both teams can compete on track.”
Palou admitted it’s been a tough stretch; he put both teams in a hard spot, and he regrets it. Ganassi, for his part, said, “I can’t condone what happened, but I’m glad it’s over. Hopefully, Alex has learned to keep good people around him, so we don’t see a repeat of 2023. Thanks to Zak and McLaren for helping us move on and get back to racing.”
Now, Palou’s chasing his fifth straight IndyCar title, starting this weekend at St Petersburg.
F1: MARTIN BRUNDLE CONFIDENT LEWIS HAMILTON WILL BE "BACK IN THE MIX" 2026.
Is Lewis Hamilton back? Read Martin Brundle’s 2026 Ferrari prediction, Hamilton’s 2025 stats, and the new SF-26 technical secrets.
Martin Brundle, the former F1 driver and now Sky Sports F1 analyst, feels sure Lewis Hamilton’s 2026 season will top what he managed in 2025.
Hamilton’s first year at Ferrari was always going to be about finding his feet. Adjusting to the team took longer than he probably hoped. He didn’t make it onto a Grand Prix podium all season, though he did snag a sprint race win in China. Not exactly the kind of year you’d expect from a seven-time world champion.
But now, Hamilton’s ready to move on. He’s hit the reset button, and with F1’s big regulation changes coming in 2026, the whole grid’s getting a fresh start.
Brundle put it pretty simply when Sky Sports F1 asked if things would get better for Lewis: “I hope so. For Lewis, for Ferrari. As fans, we always want Ferrari to do well, don’t we? And I’d love to see things work out for Lewis.”
You can tell Brundle’s optimistic. He’s noticed Hamilton seems happier. He thinks Lewis will really make the most of the new tools and rules. Of course, he still has to beat Charles Leclerc in the other Ferrari. Leclerc’s no slouch. But Brundle’s point is that a happy Lewis is a fast Lewis, wherever he’s driving.
He also thinks Ferrari’s made some smart moves over the winter. “They look in a better place than they have for a few years,” Brundle said. “So I’m confident Lewis will have a better year.”
Craig Slater, Brundle’s co-presenter, brought up how much work Hamilton has put in at Ferrari over the last year. “He said, ‘I’ve put my DNA in this car.’ Last year, he was talking about being new and having to adjust, but now he’s worked really hard building relationships and preparing for these new rules. The big question is, will he get the payoff?”
Slater can’t help but imagine the buzz if Hamilton, at 41, really fights for that elusive eighth title.
Brundle wrapped it up by saying, “Lewis is bigger than F1 in a way no other driver is. But he’s got a pack of younger guys, some barely half his age, to take on. It won’t be easy, but I really think he’s in for a stronger season.”
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