Lewis Hamilton absent at Ferrari for crucial F1 outing

Lewis Hamilton was absent during Ferrari’s most recent F1 tyre test in Fiorano, where Charles Leclerc and Guanyu Zhou instead took to the track in a modified SF-25.

Following his axe from Sauber at the end of 2024, the Chinese driver has since taken on the role of reserve driver at Ferrari and finally made his debut in scarlet on Thursday.

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Pirelli’s two-day test at Ferrari’s private track Fiorano, saw the SF-25 modified to simulate the 2026-sized tyres and the reduction of downforce for next year’s cars.

Hamilton chose to opt out of the test, with Zhou naturally stepping in for the test as part of his reserve driver duties.

What is the 2026 Pirelli tyre test?

Across 2025, all teams will be involved in a jam packed schedule of tyre testing ahead of the new cars and regulation changes for next season, using mule cars instead of the 2026 challengers.

Ferrari and McLaren were amongst the first teams to conduct tests for Pirelli in February 2025, where they helped the manufacturer with the development of future tyres and the compounds that will be used.

On Thursday, Ferrari tested the 2026 intermediate and wet weather tyres at Fiorano, using their in-built irrigation system to simulate slippery conditions out on track.

Zhou was behind the wheel of the SF-25 on the first day of testing, where he completed 159 laps and set a fastest lap time of 59:820 seconds on the slick tyres, and 1.07:400 seconds on the intermediates.

Leclerc took from Zhou on Friday for the second and final day of the 2026 Pirelli tyre test at Ferrari’s home track.

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