Lewis Hamilton BEATEN by shock F1 rival in final test

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Hamilton BEATEN by shock F1 rival in final test

Lewis Hamilton was on the back foot in Barcelona

Dan Ripley Global Editor

Professional F1 journalist and analyst

Wednesday 5 February 2025 19:58

Lewis Hamilton found himself on the back foot after testing times were confirmed following the final day of running in Barcelona.

Hamilton was joined on the day by Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc and McLaren star Oscar Piastri as they conducted tyre testing duties for Pirelli at the home of the Spanish Grand Prix.

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Although the test was conducted for tyres that will be used during 2026 when a huge raft of rules and regulation changes will come into effect, the competitive nature of Hamilton will still make it likely he wouldn't have been happy to see his name bottom of the pile at the Circuit de Catalunya against drivers he will hope to see off in a title fight this year.

According to F1 journalist Jon Noble, Leclerc went fastest after posting a 1m14.971s, with Piastri following up on a 1m15.815s. Hamilton's time was nearly two seconds off his new team-mate with a 1m16.759.

Ferrari have finally dropped the official 2025 merch, click here to shop Hamilton's debut kit in red.

Charles Leclerc was also on track for Ferrari

However, given the little data known in regards to fuel loads, tyre compounds and run plans, any concerns that Hamilton was already falling behind Leclerc or even Piastri could be taken with a pinch of salt.

That could also be magnified from the previous day's running when Hamilton easily beat Leclerc when the pair were joined on track by the sister McLaren of Lando Norris.

Of encouragement to both teams, who were running 2024 cars, there was little to report in the way of reliability issues, with Piastri pounding in 152 laps, and Hamilton and Leclerc both doing 74 tours of the circuit.

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Oscar Piastri was the sole McLaren F1 runner

When will Ferrari release their F1 2025 car?

Ferrari will unveil their new 2025 challenger on February 19 just one day after a livery launch at the O2 Arena in London.

Having been pipped to the constructors' championship at the final race in Abu Dhabi last season, they will be targeting going one better this season as well as hoping both their drivers challenge for the drivers' championship.

Three days of pre-season testing will get underway from February 26 at the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain ahead of the opening race with the Australian Grand Prix on March 16.

Lewis Hamilton Ferrari McLaren Oscar Piastri Charles Leclerc Spanish Grand Prix