F1 2026: Lewis Hamilton all smiles again as Ferrari unleash SF-26

Lewis Hamilton smiling at the Qatar Grand Prix — Photo: © IMAGO

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Lewis Hamilton all smiles again as Ferrari unleash 2026 challenger

Hamilton looked keen to try out the SF-26

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Saturday 17 January 2026 15:55

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F1 legend Lewis Hamilton appeared positive over his future at Ferrari during the team's recent fire up of their 2026 car.

After a significantly shorter off-season than usual, Hamilton and his team-mate Charles Leclerc will now be full swing into their preparations for pre-season testing, which begins behind closed doors in Barcelona on January 26.

But before the Scuderia jet off to join the other 10 F1 teams at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Hamilton and Leclerc headed to the garage to hear the engine of the SF-26 fired up for the first time.

Article continues under video

This year will see the introduction of a new era of power units in F1 in line with the introduction of the new regulations cycle, which begins in 2026 and will last until the end of 2030.

F1's 2026 engines will see a shift to relying on electrical energy much more as the hybrid moves towards a 50/50 power split and features a battery component (the MGU-K) which will generate a whopping 350kW, as the previously used MGU-H has been scrapped altogether.

Is Hamilton happy with the SF-26?

In a video posted to Ferrari's official social channels, the team revealed the roaring sound of their 2026 engine for the first time as Hamilton and Leclerc watched on.

The seven-time champion lit up with a smile as he whipped out his phone to document the moment before appearing to discuss his first impressions of the new car with his Monegasque team-mate.

Of course there is the possibility that Hamilton may have been smiling simply thinking about his prospects of improvement this season with a new race engineer by his side.

On Friday it was announced that Hamilton's 2025 engineer Riccardo Adami would be stepping down from the role in 2026, instead moving to a position of Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy and Test Previous Cars Manager.

Since Hamilton's move to Maranello it was clear that the dynamic between the duo was not functioning and often resulted in many heated exchanges over team radio during a race.

A replacement for 2026 has not yet been announced but making the right decision will be crucial to ensure Hamilton gets off one the right foot with his new engineer as they adapt to the new regulations together.

F1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 2026 regulations