The launch of a new Ferrari single-seater is never an insignificant event. But the first drive of the Ferrari SF-26 at Fiorano had a special dimension this time. For the first time, it was Lewis Hamilton who first took the wheel of the new F1 car from Scuderia Ferrari. In the wake of a podium-less 2025 season, Ferrari begins the new 2026 regulatory cycle with an almost blank page. And Hamilton, seven-time world champion, has chosen to share the moment in his own way: by taking fans where the cameras almost never go.
In the privacy of the garage
Even before the SF-26 hits the asphalt, Hamilton pulls out his phone. In a video posted on his social networks, the Briton guides spectators inside the Fiorano circuit, to the heart of the legendary Shell garage. A place steeped in history, which he describes with palpable emotion. "It's the iconic garage, the one I saw when I was growing up watching F1. You can see all these historic images, even those of Enzo Ferrari on this track", he confides, as the engineers bustle around a single-seater still being assembled. Around him, key Ferrari figures are present for this founding moment: Piero Ferrari, John Elkann, and a paddock aware of the importance of this first drive.
Shortly afterwards, the SF-26 leaves the garage for its lap installation. Only a few laps, shared with Charles Leclerc, but enough to leave a lasting impression. Hamilton sums up the moment with a simple phrase, almost ritualistic among drivers: "Every year, I look forward to this moment. The emotion of the launch remains intact, season after season. New year, new energy. Same mission. Welcome SF-26. At 41 years of age, the pilot still experiences this thrill intact. When the engine is started for the first time, he describes his sensations: the vibrations that travel up his back to his ribs, the perfectly coordinated ballet of the mechanics removing the heating blankets, the collective excitement of the first day.
First driving sensations, unfiltered
Without going into technical considerations, Hamilton evokes what only a driver can feel on his very first drive. As soon as he leaves the pits, he perceives the car's behavior: the response of the steering wheel, the movement of the rear end, the way the brakes work. Nothing is analyzed yet, everything is felt. The Brit places no particular importance on stopping the car on the track during the run, nor on the lack of in-depth testing of the active aerodynamics that will be an integral part of the new car. Formula 1 version 2026. For him, the most important thing is elsewhere: to be the first to bring this Ferrari to life. "Being the first to drive it is a privilege I never take for granted.
The immediate link with the tifosi
Approaching the first bend at Fiorano, Hamilton spotted the tifosi massed behind the barriers. Contact is immediate. He speaks of an energy he feels only here, as he did last year, and nowhere else in his career. This look exchanged with the fans completes an extraordinary day. For Hamilton, this first drive in the SF-26 is a profound reconnection with the Ferrari DNA, its history and its popular fervor.
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