Ferrari revealed its 2026 Formula 1 car, the SF-26, during a launch event at its Maranello headquarters on Friday, featuring a new red and white livery with HP blue accents. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc took turns driving the car for its maiden laps at the nearby Fiorano test track, marking the start of the team's preparations under new regulations. The event highlighted the unchanged driver lineup and ongoing leadership of team principal Fred Vasseur.
Ferrari continued the wave of pre-season car launches by presenting the SF-26 on Friday at a special event broadcast live from Maranello, Italy. The car, designed for the overhauled 2026 chassis and power unit rules, sports a striking red and white livery with splotches of HP blue and a white cockpit area. As one of the early teams to show their design, Ferrari followed Red Bull, Racing Bulls, Haas, Audi, and Mercedes in unveiling their challenger.
The launch included a demonstration run at Fiorano, limited to 15km under F1 regulations. Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion, drove first, completing an installation lap followed by two more laps and a practice start. Charles Leclerc then replicated the session with a lap behind a camera car and a faster lap. Both drivers expressed excitement about the new machine. Hamilton later reflected, "The good thing is when you come back you always hope you fit. Fortunately it fit completely fine. It’s just so exciting when they fire the car up and you get the new vibration of the car through your body... That’s something that I will never get used to."
Team principal Fred Vasseur and deputy Jerome d'Ambrosio oversaw preparations, joined by Ferrari president John Elkann and CEO Benedetto Vigna. Hundreds of Tifosi fans gathered outside, chanting Hamilton's name as he passed Turn 1. The event underscored Ferrari's continuity, with Hamilton and Leclerc retained as drivers and Vasseur entering his fourth season.
Following the Fiorano shakedown, Ferrari plans to participate in the Barcelona Shakedown from January 26-30, starting on Tuesday rather than the opening day, subject to weather. Vasseur noted, "The programme [is] that we are supposed to start on Tuesday, but then we’ll have to finetune with the weather forecast." Technical director Loic Serra confirmed the second-day plan. This launch comes after a disappointing 2025, where Hamilton recorded no podiums and Leclerc went winless, with hopes pinned on the new regulations for a stronger performance.
