Lewis Hamilton promotes Ferrari: "Great job, I’m happy"

Lewis Hamilton confirms Ferrari’s line after Thursday’s test in Bahrain: optimism, but with great caution. The Englishman lapped in the morning, marked by a technical problem that the team seems to have resolved, and then returned in the afternoon with a program that saw him try three different tire compounds. Concentrating on long runs, he finished with the fourth fastest time overall, six tenths behind Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes. But the mood remains absolutely serene, even around the seven-time world champion.

Marco Enzo Venturini

“Today we didn&#8217t have a perfect day, because I couldn&#8217t complete the entire program that concerned me – admitted Hamilton. However, Ferrari gave a great team effort. Everyone worked great in the pits, allowing me to get back on the track after fixing the car. I am very happy that I was able to complete a very long run, collecting valuable data to prepare for the season”. A season in which there will be many technical innovations, including one that the SF-26 has launched on the track and which has aroused great curiosity.

Even Hamilton’s number 44 has in fact fitted a’newly designed rear wing: in fact, it does not just open up as the regulations allow. It even makes an additional movement that allows it to “tip over” all’backwards. It&#8217s a solution that only Maranello has adopted, but one that competitors have already put under a magnifying glass. “We call it the Macarena. Because it makes a movement where it looks like it lifts the arms and brings them backwards’backwards”, team principal Frederic Vasseur revealed amid laughter to the French of ‘Canal+’.

The impression of a very optimistic mood at Ferrari&#8217s home remains, however, as shown by an otherwise cautious Charles Leclerc. “The SF-26 looks like a good car from the outside during testing, but I think it is still too early to draw conclusions. Everyone is hiding their game and trying to make people believe that the’other team is the fastest. We are not really sure where we”re at, said the Monegasque driver.

Leclerc then addressed the work Ferrari wanted to focus on on Thursday: “The start is a very important moment in the race and we have taken that into consideration. It is still as difficult as it is for everyone, but maybe we have a slight advantage. I am happy with this because in Australia every start will be crucial: you can gain or lose many positions”.