Lewis Hamilton Speaks Out After Surprise Lap Times in Ferrari Closed Doors Test
Lewis Hamilton has expressed optimism for next season following his involvement in Ferrari's behind-closed-doors testing at the Yas Marina circuit.
Hamilton endured a difficult end to the 2025 season, finishing sixth in the Drivers' Standings.
After the final race in Abu Dhabi, he said he would "unplug from the matrix" and switch off during the off-season.
It was a challenging year for Hamilton and Ferrari, but they hope next year's regulation changes will provide a more competitive car in 2026.
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Although the season only ended on Sunday, teams are already turning their attention to next year.
On Tuesday, all 10 teams took part in post-season testing, focusing on Pirelli's tyre selection for the upcoming season.
To provide the tyre manufacturer with more relevant data, teams were allowed to run 'mule cars' capable of producing the lower downforce expected next year.
Rookie drivers competed in 2025 cars, while current F1 drivers took to the track in development cars.
Jak Crawford, Paul Aron and Luke Browning set the fastest lap times of the session, while Kimi Antonelli led the incumbent drivers in sixth place.
Hamilton finished 11th, one position ahead of newly crowned world champion Lando Norris.
There had been speculation Hamilton might leave Ferrari after such a tough season.
However, the 40-year-old appeared upbeat following testing at Yas Marina.
He said: "We tested the new tyres today to help us gain a better understanding of how they will perform.
"We worked through our programme, made some good findings, and overall it was a very positive day.
"I’m really grateful to everyone in the garage for pushing through this extra day of testing, which is not easy at the end of a long season."
Hamilton's optimism was echoed by his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, who finished 14th in testing.
Leclerc said: "It was a very positive test day.
"We had a lot of things to try and it was fundamental to work on the tyres to start understanding them. Everything we learned will go with us into next year.
"It’s the last day of this season, but at the same time the first of the next.
"Thank you so much to everyone for the support you gave me this year. See you next year!"
Ferrari youngster Dino Beganovic also got the chance to drive at Yas Marina, finishing ninth ahead of both Hamilton and Leclerc
The 21-year-old Swedish-Bosnian described it as a "very special opportunity," explaining how he had "a lot of fun" completing long tyre runs.
Topics: Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Formula 1, Charles Leclerc
James Taylor