Lewis Hamilton gets key date for Ferrari turnaround to begin

Lewis Hamilton's hopes for an F1 revival will be pinned on 2026 and the new regulations taking over the sport.

Three consecutive disastrous Q1 exits ended Hamilton's grim first season at Ferrari, a fitting end to his first ever campaign without an F1 podium finish.

The seven-time world champion will enjoy a digital detox during the winter break, vowing to ditch his phone and 'unplug from the matrix' when speaking to the media after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

When his self-imposed Christmas exile is over however, serious work starts at Ferrari in the new year as the team look to banish memories of a woeful 2025 season.

Can Ferrari improve with 2026 F1 regulations change?

2026 will usher in a complete overhaul of the current ruleset and transform F1 cars, including a 50-50 split between electrical power and internal combustion engine.

Nailing these new rules will be crucial to Ferrari's success in the next few years, and could determine Hamilton's longevity in the sport with the champion unlikely to continue his career if the team are not competitive.

Italian publication Corriere della Sera recently confirmed when we can see Ferrari's 2026 challenger out on track for the first time, with the off-season a lot shorter than what we have become accustomed to.

They report that Ferrari will present their challenger the week of January 20, and will immediately hit their private test track at Fiorano for their shakedown.

The atmosphere at Fiorano in 2026 will be a huge contrast to the fanfare and flurry of activity in the winter this year, with the tifosi full of hope at the seven-time world champion's arrival.

It is hard to imagine the same kind of feverish excitement in the winter, as Ferrari have done little in 2025 to give their adoring fans hope they'll be championship challengers anytime soon.

Testing in Barcelona then takes place behind closed doors from January 26 to January 30, with F1 then heading to Bahrain for more testing at Sakhir from February 11-13 and then 18-20.

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