Ferrari is taking advantage of the Formula 1 April break to bank laps at its Fiorano test track.

Ferrari has taken to the track on Thursday morning with Lewis Hamilton driving the SF-26 to begin a two-day Pirelli tyre test. While the team is not permitted to use this running for development work on the car, and will not be told the tyre compound that is fitted at any given time, the additional seat time will be a benefit for Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, as they continue to adapt to the new machinery. 

Unlike in the era of unlimited testing, Ferrari will be locked into predetermined run plans by Pirelli, with specific fuel loads and lap counts dictated by the tyre manufacturer.

Ferrari will also be unable to gather valuable information from the running, with data shared only with Pirelli. To ensure consistent data across the test, Ferrari cannot test new developments. 

However, is reported that Ferrari will use one of its filming days ahead of the Miami Grand Prix at the start of May to test various updates, including to the Macarena wing, which was seen in practice for the Chinese Grand Prix, but is yet to feature beyond the opening session of a weekend.

This test is slated to take place at Monza, a track where the wing could have the largest benefit, but also where the forces of high-speed running will be at their highest, providing a challenging stress test on the device.

Ferrari has been the most consistent challenger to Mercedes across the opening three rounds of the 2026 F1 season, with the Scuderia represented on the third step of the podium on each occasion – Leclerc taking the silverware twice and Hamilton once.

But the team dropped behind McLaren in Japan, as Oscar Piastri finished second to championship leader Kimi Antonelli, and provided the first significant threat of the year to Mercedes’ race winning streak.

However, team principal Fred Vasseur believes there will “probably be another championship” from Miami onwards, with teams expected to bring significant upgrade packages that could reshuffle the pack.

Hinting at the scale of upgrades that Ferrari could take to the United States, Vasseur added: “We might be able to do a package and a half for Miami.”

Ferrari is taking advantage of the Formula 1 April break to bank laps at its Fiorano test track.

Ferrari has taken to the track on Thursday morning with Lewis Hamilton driving the SF-26 to begin a two-day Pirelli tyre test. While the team is not permitted to use this running for development work on the car, and will not be told the tyre compound that is fitted at any given time, the additional seat time will be a benefit for Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, as they continue to adapt to the new machinery. 

Unlike in the era of unlimited testing, Ferrari will be locked into predetermined run plans by Pirelli, with specific fuel loads and lap counts dictated by the tyre manufacturer.

Ferrari will also be unable to gather valuable information from the running, with data shared only with Pirelli. To ensure consistent data across the test, Ferrari cannot test new developments. 

However, is reported that Ferrari will use one of its filming days ahead of the Miami Grand Prix at the start of May to test various updates, including to the Macarena wing, which was seen in practice for the Chinese Grand Prix, but is yet to feature beyond the opening session of a weekend.

This test is slated to take place at Monza, a track where the wing could have the largest benefit, but also where the forces of high-speed running will be at their highest, providing a challenging stress test on the device.

Ferrari has been the most consistent challenger to Mercedes across the opening three rounds of the 2026 F1 season, with the Scuderia represented on the third step of the podium on each occasion – Leclerc taking the silverware twice and Hamilton once.

But the team dropped behind McLaren in Japan, as Oscar Piastri finished second to championship leader Kimi Antonelli, and provided the first significant threat of the year to Mercedes’ race winning streak.

However, team principal Fred Vasseur believes there will “probably be another championship” from Miami onwards, with teams expected to bring significant upgrade packages that could reshuffle the pack.

Hinting at the scale of upgrades that Ferrari could take to the United States, Vasseur added: “We might be able to do a package and a half for Miami.”