Lewis Hamilton F1 comeback is on! Ferrari insider decodes Bahrain testing appearance

A Ferrari insider has shed light on the real meaning behind a visit from a big name in the Scuderia's F1 garage during pre-season testing in Bahrain this week.

The final stint of 2026 testing took place in Sakhir on Friday, with seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton having handed the driving duties over to team-mate Charles Leclerc.

The Monegasque star topped the timesheets after a positive day at the wheel of the SF-26, further pushing the positive narrative surrounding Ferrari's 2026 challenger after an impressive showing from Hamilton on Thursday.

Though the Italian F1 squad struggled with a car issue that kept the British racer waiting in the garage earlier in the week, it was Hamilton who got the paddock talking after debuting a new rotational rear wing and showing off the impressive launch off the line his new Ferrari is capable of during practice starts.

On top of the positive signs coming from the Scuderia on track, Hamilton also appeared much happier at his new team, telling media in Bahrain that he felt more 'connected' to his new car having actually been able to contribute to it this time around.

But aside from these positive signs, there was also a good omen coming out of the Ferrari garage on Friday that casual F1 fans may not have been privy to.

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Ferrari testing visit says all you need to know about Hamilton's chances

During Ferrari's test run on Friday that saw Leclerc bring the Scuderia's lap count up to 324, F1 TV presenter Ruth Buscombe dropped some inside knowledge from her time in red.

Buscombe played a vital role as a pit-lane reporter in Bahrain this week, drawing from her vast experience in the sport where she worked for Ferrari, Haas and Sauber/Alfa Romeo.

The presenter got her start in the pinnacle of motorsport with Ferrari in 2012 as a Simulations Development Engineer before moving up to become a factory based race strategist and car based race strategist working with the likes of Felipe Massa, Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel.

As Leclerc continued to impress out on track on Friday, the cameras cut to show Piero Ferrari, Ferrari shareholder and son of Enzo Ferrari, who was watching over the team from the garage.

Buscombe explained that this could be a good sign for Hamilton and Leclerc's chances this season, noting: "Piero Ferrari, last son of Enzo, great guy. He still has some shares in the team itself. And as a rule of thumb, when I was at Ferrari, whenever you had a Ferrari in the garage, as in a human person that’s a Ferrari, it usually meant a good thing.

"It meant that the car was good."

F1 TV commentator Alex Jacques then added: "It’s a happy sign."

After eight years of racing in red for Leclerc and Hamilton's first year at the team having failed to bring him a single grand prix podium, perhaps Ferrari's appearance in the garage this week is a sign that the Scuderia are much more confident of their 2026 challenger than they are letting on.

When does the 2026 F1 season start?

Ferrari will be back in action when the 2026 season starts in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix.

The first race of the year takes place on March 8 at 3pm local time (AEDT), 4am GMT, and 11pm ET.

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