Lewis Hamilton is not recognized for his one-lap tempo, however the seven-time world champion has been left inspired by his testing efficiency on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
Picture: Getty Photographs)
Lewis Hamilton has shrugged off worries about his one-lap pace as he gears up for his debut season as a Ferrari driver.
The Brit managed to go sooner than new team-mate Charles Leclerc on the primary day of a Pirelli tyre check on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this week. The McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri additionally joined Hamilton and Leclerc in Spain on Tuesday for the primary day of observe time in Pirelli’s newest tyre check.
Final week, Pirelli held its first low season check at Circuit Paul Ricard, with Norris and Piastri testing the potential moist and intermediate tyres for use within the 2026 season. Their second programme is happening on Tuesday and Wednesday in Barcelona, with 4 vehicles hitting the observe.
An F1 Technical report reveals that Norris was the quickest of the 4 drivers on the primary day, clocking a greatest time of 1:15.2. Hamilton’s quickest time was 1:15.9, seven-tenths slower than the McLaren driver, however crucially, one-tenth sooner than new team-mate Leclerc.
Whereas testing instances do not precisely mirror a driver’s true tempo, the truth that Hamilton is matching Leclerc’s pace after personal TPC check days in Fiorano and Barcelona will undoubtedly give the seven-time champion a major psychological enhance heading into the season.
Hamilton was outperformed 19-5 in qualifying by his Mercedes team-mate George Russell final yr, resulting in a major dip in confidence on Saturdays. This sparked chatter amongst pundits who instructed that the seven-time world champion was shedding his one-lap edge, reviews the Specific.
“For Lewis, it’s one thing he must work on, although, as a result of in 2025, it may be tremendous shut, and if he’s two or three tenths away from Charles, you could possibly find yourself P6 or P7 on the grid and hastily, your race is totally completely different,” former F1 driver Karun Chandhok mentioned.
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“I am certain it is weighing on his thoughts, however I do not assume Lewis wants folks to inform him the place he wants to enhance, he is aware of inside himself the place he wants to enhance, and you’ll see the physique language.”
Along with checks in France and Spain, tyre producer Pirelli plans one other check earlier than pre-season kicks off in Bahrain. Nonetheless, Hamilton and Ferrari will not be current on the observe, with Alpine, McLaren and Mercedes being the groups known as upon to help the tyre producer.
“On 4 and 5 February, McLaren and Ferrari can be on observe on the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit, after which, on 12 and 13 at Jerez de la Frontera, Alpine can be working with us on each days, whereas McLaren and Mercedes will do at some point every,” defined Pirelli’s motorsport director Mario Isola.
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