The 41-year-old Briton added: “The 2026 season represents an enormous problem for everybody, in all probability the largest regulation change I’ve skilled in my profession.
“When a brand new period begins all the pieces revolves round improvement, progress as a workforce, and shifting ahead in the identical path.”
Hamilton’s team-mate Charles Leclerc mentioned: “The 2026 rules demand a fair larger stage of preparation, significantly for us drivers. There are various new programs to know and optimise, which is why now we have been closely concerned from the early phases of the venture’s improvement.
“Power administration and the facility unit will probably be among the many most vital elements – an interesting problem which would require us drivers to adapt shortly, relying extra on intuition to start with, after which more and more on exact information.”
The brand new SF-26 automotive ran for the primary time at Ferrari’s Fiorano check monitor on Friday, earlier than heading to the primary pre-season check, which will probably be held in non-public at Spain’s Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya subsequent week.
There are then two additional checks in Bahrain in February.
Workforce principal Frederic Vasseur mentioned the automotive ran with out issues at Fiorano however mentioned it was “too early for expectations”.
“We are going to see efficiency in Melbourne (on the first race of the season on 6-8 March),” Vasseur mentioned. “However the season will not be over in Melbourne. There will probably be a whole lot of improvement by way of the yr, greater than within the final two years.
“The goal in Barcelona will probably be to get most information on the automotive after which we begin the event from Bahrain onwards.”
No impartial media are allowed on the Barcelona check and groups can run on a most of three of the 5 days.
Vasseur mentioned Ferrari would run for the primary time on Tuesday in Barcelona and determine afterwards which two of the three remaining days they’d use.
Ferrari technical director Loic Serra mentioned: “We devoted vital time to the idea section to seize as a lot as doable of the brand new regulatory and technical context.
“We additionally had to make sure that the automotive’s structure would permit us sufficient flexibility for in-season improvement. On this setting, effectivity and the combination of options like lively aerodynamics are essential.”
