"FIRED UP": HAMILTON DESCRIBES THE VIBRATION OF FERRARI’S NEW 2026 HYBRID ENGINE
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have completed the first shakedown of the Ferrari SF-26. Discover the 2026 specs and quotes.
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Lewis Hamilton can’t hide how excited he is about the 2026 season. Getting his hands on Ferrari’s new car for the first time after the big launch—it’s a moment he’s been waiting for. The SF-26 rolled out on Friday, and Hamilton jumped in for a shakedown at Fiorano, with Charles Leclerc taking his turn later. Seeing the car up close, feeling all those months of work come together, it really hit him.
“Just waking up here at Ferrari, it’s honestly something else,” Hamilton said, grinning like a kid. “I’ve spent the last week or so here, watching the car come together. You really see how hard everyone works—walking past their desks, catching the energy in the air.
“All those hours in the simulator, every bit of planning, and finally, you see the car in one piece. That’s the best part of the year for me. Everyone’s work, every little part from every department, finally fits together.
“And then, to be one of only two people who actually get to drive it? That’s wild. I’m just so grateful for the team’s effort.”
When he talks about the first drive out of the garage, you can hear the excitement in his voice. “There’s nothing like when they fire up the car—you feel the engine through your whole body. They open the door, and you head down to Turn 1, and the Tifosi are right there. That’s something I’ll never get over. Days like these remind me why I love racing and why I love this sport.”
Now, he’s counting down to more time in the car at the Barcelona Shakedown next week, then two tests in Bahrain, and finally, the season opener in Australia in early March.
“If you look back at my interviews, I never used to say I was excited, but now? I’m massively excited, and I don’t mind admitting it,” Hamilton said, sounding refreshed. “It’s about new beginnings. I really focused on resetting this winter—even though it was the shortest break we’ve had, it was exactly what I needed. I’ve been working on changing old habits, dropping things that don’t help me, and just trying to show up in the best way possible.
“I can’t wait for the first proper test. Today wasn’t about pushing the limits, but just being at Ferrari—man, that’s a cool feeling. Next week, we’ll really see what this new generation of cars can do.
“After that, it’s about figuring out what everyone else has—what tricks, what ideas, what different concepts are out there. For us, it’s just about keeping our heads down and focusing on our own job.
“The team feels refreshed. So much effort has gone in from every corner of Ferrari. It’s amazing to see. We’re going to run with this energy and take things one day at a time.”
Leclerc was just as excited as Hamilton at the Maranello launch. He admitted he couldn’t really judge much from his short time in the car, but he’d been waiting eagerly to try out the SF-26 for the first time.
“I was really looking forward to it,” he said. “There’s been so much talk and effort behind the scenes just to get us to this point. We wanted to see if the car would run properly, check the sensors, and find out if everything was working the way we hoped.”
Driving at Fiorano made the moment even more special, with Tifosi lining the track and adding to the buzz.
Talking about the new regulations, Leclerc called this “one of the biggest changes in F1 history.” He explained, “We pretty much have to relearn all our routines, get a deeper grip on the systems, and figure out how to get the best out of it. It changes a lot for us as drivers—the way we drive, how we manage races. It’s a huge challenge, but honestly, that’s what makes it exciting. With all the work that’s gone on, I just wanted to finally get behind the wheel and feel it for myself. So yeah, it was a big moment.”
Leclerc, just like Hamilton, can’t wait for the season to start. “Today, I couldn’t really go flat-out, even though I wanted to. Once you drop that visor, all you want to do is push! But today wasn’t the day for that. In Barcelona, we’ll finally get to push the car and really find the limit—and that’s what matters for us drivers, being right on the edge from the very first qualifying. I can’t wait.”
MAX VERSTAPPEN CLAIMS POLE IN MERCEDES-AMG GT3 AMID F1 RULE CONTROVERSY
Max Verstappen lands pole in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 at the Nurburgring while slamming F1’s "Mario Kart" battery regulations.
Max Verstappen just landed pole position in a Mercedes – and he didn’t miss the chance to take another shot at Formula 1's new rules. He’s using the gap between the Chinese and Japanese Grands Prix to race in the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie, getting ready for the 24-hour event in May.
He’s in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 from Winward, running under the Verstappen Racing banner, teaming up with Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon for this four-hour race. Their qualifying run? Verstappen's squad nailed the fastest lap: 7:51.751 around the legendary circuit.
Honestly, this weekend at the Nurburgring is a breath of fresh air for Verstappen. He’s been vocal about his dislike for F1's latest regulations, which split the power pretty much evenly between traditional engines and electric systems.
These rules are some of the biggest changes F1 has ever had, forcing drivers to constantly watch their battery levels and use a boost button for overtakes. Verstappen didn’t hide his feelings, saying about the NLS race: “At least you can drive flat out without looking after the battery.” He’s been slamming F1’s direction for months, and after retiring late in China, he was running sixth; he doubled down, calling the system “Mario Kart". It’s not racing, he said. “We’re boosting past. Then you run out of battery, and they boost back past you again. For me, it’s just a joke.”
Verstappen made it clear: it’s not about sour grapes or losing. “I’d say the same if I were winning because I care about the racing product. It’s fundamentally flawed. It’s painful. It’ll ruin the sport eventually, and it’ll come back to bite them.”
An old press conference of Verstappen warning about the 2026 regulations popped up again online. He kept going: “You could have seen this coming ages ago. They should have listened in 2023. Maybe it’s a lesson, so this doesn’t happen again. You’ve got to be careful with how you say things, but we’re talking. They know where we stand as drivers. Some love it because they’re winning, and sure, if you have an advantage, why give it up?
“But talk to most drivers; this isn’t what we want, and I don’t think real fans want it either. It’s political. Some have the edge and want to keep it. I get that; I’m not stupid. But it’s just not good for the sport. Hopefully, we'll get rid of it soon.”
DISCOVER WHY JONATHAN WHEATLEY BELIEVES RED BULL’S STRUGGLES FUEL MAX VERSTAPPEN’S OUTRAGE
Jonathan Wheatley claims Max Verstappen's criticism of the "anti-racing" 2026 regulations reflects Red Bull's early struggles.
Jonathan Wheatley thinks Max Verstappen’s harsh words about Formula 1’s 2026 rules say as much about Red Bull’s current struggles as they do about the new regulations.
Verstappen hasn’t held back at all; he’s been one of the loudest voices against F1’s new energy-harvesting era, calling the rules “anti-racing” during pre-season testing.
Just two races in, Verstappen’s only got eight points. After Shanghai, he walked away without scoring anything. He finished the sprint race in ninth just outside the points, mostly because he lost ground when his car bogged down from a lack of battery power right off the line.
Things didn’t get better in the main race. Verstappen tried to claw his way back, but he had to park his RB22 because of an ERS cooling problem.
He didn’t sugarcoat his feelings. Verstappen slammed the new energy management rules, energy harvesting, and super clipping, all of it, as “fundamentally flawed". He called the racing itself a "joke". For him, the whole thing’s starting to feel more like Mario Kart than real racing.
“I swapped the simulator for my Nintendo Switch and have been practising Mario Kart, actually!” Verstappen joked when someone asked if sim time gives drivers an advantage now. “Honestly, I’m getting good at finding the mushrooms. The blue shell’s a bit tougher, but I’m working on it. No rockets yet, but they’re coming.”
He also warned F1’s leaders that these new rules could “eventually ruin the sport; it’ll come back to bite them.”
Not everyone’s moved by Verstappen’s complaints. Juan Pablo Montoya went as far as telling him, "There's the door.” Guenther Steiner, the former Haas boss, said it came off as nothing more than “toys out of the pram when it doesn’t go his way.”
Meanwhile, things look very different for Charles Leclerc. He’s been fighting for podiums in Australia and China and is loving the new era.
“I really enjoyed it,” Leclerc said. “Yeah, sometimes the overtakes feel a little fake if someone messes up their battery management; you get this huge speed difference. But we’re all learning when to push and when to risk it, and that’s creating some great overtaking spots. Today was a perfect example.”
Wheatley, watching all this, figures opinions on the new rules depend on how well one's doing. If you ask the guys up front, Ferrari and Mercedes, they love the new racing. The teams chasing them? Not so much.
He told reporters after the Chinese Grand Prix, “Talk to the Ferrari drivers; they’ll say it was a brilliant day. If you’re not winning, you just want to be able to race cleanly. Honestly, I didn’t see anything fake; every driver was fighting hard and fair. The midfield battles are fantastic; there’s a lot to like.”
And as for Verstappen’s comments? Wheatley gets it. When you’re struggling, it’s easy to point fingers.
