Lewis Hamilton back on track despite F1 race hiatus

Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton back on track despite F1 race hiatus

Ferrari have conducted a test

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Thursday 9 April 2026 18:57

Seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton is back in action in his Ferrari SF-26, despite there being a five-week hiatus in the 2026 season.

Hamilton and Ferrari have had a strong start to the 2026 season, with the team having claimed podiums at all three grands prix weekends so far.

Hamilton banished his own Ferrari grand prix podium hoodoo at the Chinese Grand Prix last month, and he is currently sat up in fourth in the drivers' championship, while Ferrari are a comfortable second in the constructors' standings.

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But there is now a long break in the schedule, following the cancellations of the Saudi Arabian and Bahrain Grands Prix.

No other races were added to fill the places left by those two cancellations, meaning that we will not go racing again until the first weekend in May, for the Miami Grand Prix weekend.

Hamilton, however, has been spotted at Ferrari's Fiorano private testing track in Italy for a testing session in his SF-26.

The run was a part of Pirelli's wet tyre test, which takes place over two days at Fiorano, but it had been thought that Ferrari would be using reserve driver Antonio Giovinazzi for the event, rather than seven-time champion Hamilton.

Can Ferrari catch Mercedes in 2026?

As well as conducting tyre tests for Pirelli during this five-week hiatus, it's understood that Ferrari are also trying out a range of upgrades ahead of the Miami GP, including when it comes to their Macarena rear wing.

They believe that in order to get the best out of that clever concept, they might need to make significant changes to the underbody and sidewall profile, as well as the front wing, and they have been testing this in the simulator.

On top of this, they have a new power unit software that they want to try out which is supposed to limit the effects of super clipping on the straights.

These upgrades - and the potential changes being made as part of the ADUO period in June - are all part of Ferrari's plan to try and catch the Mercedes team in 2026.

While a championship battle looks to be a stretch, the Maranello-based outfit want to be in the fight for race wins at every circuit, and are looking to avoid a second consecutive grand prix winless season.

When is the next F1 race?

Following the cancellation of both of April's two scheduled race weekends due to the conflict in the Middle East, F1 now takes a five-week break until the Miami GP weekend at the start of May.

F1 legend Martin Brundle recently described that upcoming race as 'one of the biggest relaunches in the history of Formula 1'.

The Miami GP weekend begins on Friday May 1 and is a sprint weekend, so we will see FP1 and sprint qualifying on that first Friday in May.

Saturday May 2 then sees the sprint race before attention will switch to the grand prix, with grand prix qualifying later on the Saturday, and the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday, May 3 with a lights out time of 4pm local time (9pm BST).

F1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari