Hamilton fastest in Shakedown test

[Nitrodaze]

On the last the day of shakedown test, Seven times world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton racked up the fastest lap of the entire test at 1:16.348. Ahead of Russell in the Mercedes, who held the best lap of 1:16.445 until that moment.

Is the Ferrari faster than the mighty Mercedes? Unfortunately not. Hamilton's Ferrari completed that fast lap on Medium yellow C3 tyres, while Russell completed his fast lap on Hard C1 white-walled tyres, which are roughly three tenths slower than the C3. This would suggest that the Mercedes is about two tenths faster on the same tyres.

To be fair, neither driver was really pushing to the very limits of the cars, as they were 5 seconds of Piastri's 2025 qualifying lap of 1:11.546. While it was exciting to see Ferrari at the top of the timings, we would find out the true pecking order after the Bahrain test, where we expect all teams to push the cars to find their limits.

What are the takeaways from the shakedown? Well, l summarize them as follows:-

1. Mercedes appears to be the team to beat at this stage
2. Ferrari is very much right up there with Mercedes
3. The Redbull-Ford engine is in the mix with Mercedes and Ferrari, but reliability may be a problem going into the depth of the season.
4. The Aston Martin chassis is extraordinary. If that translates to raw speed is yet to be seen.
5. Though McLaren was late to the party, they were just as quick off the blocks.
6. Both new teams impressed with good running and no major reliability issues.
7. Williams is in trouble as they did not run their car during the shakedown week.
8. It is not clear who is ahead, which cars have the edge or which driver is trending ahead.
9. It is unclear if the 2026 cars are as fast or faster than the 2025 cars.
10. Grip is going to be a challenge this season. Sliding, understeering and longer stopping distances are
going to be noticed a lot this season. I am sure you have noticed a few things. Please do share.

[Steve Boyd]

You do wonder with Ferrari being what they are and how the Italian media are, whether Hamilton's instructions were " there's no fuel in the tank, but there's enough in the swirl pot for three laps; the batteries are fully charged, don't use them on the out lap; you've got new soft tyres; it's hammer time!

[Nitrodaze]

You do wonder with Ferrari being what they are and how the Italian media are, whether Hamilton's instructions were " there's no fuel in the tank, but there's enough in the swirl pot for three laps; the batteries are fully charged, don't use them on the out lap; you've got new soft tyres; it's hammer time!

To be fair, it was a genuine fast lap, which was one of many laps that he did. The Ferrari has genuine pace. But as I said, how much they have relative to the competition is still unknown. But it was good to see. And yes, Ferrari tends to do these sorts of things and end up behind when it comes down to proper racing.

But would it not be a pleasant surprise if they turn out to actually have Mercedes' level pace?