After the Bahrain pre-season testing, Lewis Hamilton went searching for answers — but came up empty-handed.
The Ferrari driver revealed he contacted both his former Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, and McLaren CEO Zak Brown in an attempt to better understand how the competitive order is shaping up ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. However, he admitted the calls offered little clarity.
“Little emerged from the tests; everyone hid with their fuel loads,” Hamilton told Corriere della Sera. “I called Toto Wolff at Mercedes and Zak Brown at McLaren to try to understand what they have learned, but I got no results.”
With F1 2026 ushering in sweeping regulation changes — including smaller, lower-downforce cars, active aerodynamics and more electrified power units featuring biofuel-powered internal combustion engines — predicting the pecking order remains difficult.
Following testing, Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull are widely considered the top four teams, though opinions vary on who holds the advantage. Mercedes is tipped by some to start strongly, particularly after choosing not to complete a headline performance run in Bahrain — a move that caught the attention of former driver Jolyon Palmer.
Meanwhile, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has identified Ferrari and Mercedes as the benchmarks, while Mercedes and customer team Williams have spoken positively about Red Bull’s engine energy deployment.
Despite the uncertainty, Hamilton remains confident in Ferrari’s potential.
“However, I am certain of one thing: after what we went through last year, we can handle any situation,” he said. “This team has everything it takes to win. We have to get the job done together with the fans. It’s easier said than done, but I came to Ferrari because I believed in it — and I still do.”
After a challenging debut season with Ferrari in 2025 — his first in Formula 1 without a podium finish — Hamilton has redoubled his efforts. He described this winter as “the most I’ve ever trained,” determined to reset mentally and physically as he pursues a record-breaking eighth world title.
Ferrari showed strong pace over both single laps and long runs in Bahrain, and pundit Martin Brundle noted a visibly happier Hamilton — backing him to mount a stronger campaign in 2026 as the title fight resumes.