Hamilton admits Ferrari's Madring test gave them 'hardly any' advantage ahead of Spanish GP

Lewis Hamilton has dismissed suggestions that Ferrari gained a meaningful edge from being the only Formula 1 team to run at Madrid’s Madring circuit before this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, describing the July filming day as offering “hardly any” competitive advantage.

The Scuderia ran its SF-26 at the new street circuit under regulations that permitted 200km of running on Pirelli demonstration tyres. But Hamilton was blunt about what the session actually delivered. “It was dusty, super super dusty, there was zero grip,” he said. “We can’t change the car because it’s not a test, it was filming. We weren’t even flat out in many of the corners, we were just low power, low grip. The only one thing is I’ve seen which way the track goes. So, honestly, I don’t think any, to be honest.”

Teammate Charles Leclerc echoed the limited nature of the running, noting he completed just two laps in the Ferrari — the rest behind a road car — with cameras mounted throughout and heavy dust on the surface. Despite that, the Monegasque said the circuit left a strong impression. “It looked like a very challenging track and, I think, exactly the kind of track that I enjoy as a driver,” Leclerc said.

Leclerc did temper expectations for the race itself, warning that overtaking opportunities at the tight street layout would be scarce. “I think come Sunday the amount of overtaking opportunities will be very little. But I think in qualifying it will be a very cool and challenging track for all drivers, and for that I’m looking forward to it.”

The assessment aligns with what has already been seen at the venue. Formula 3 racing at Madring two weeks ago underlined the circuit’s technical demands, and several drivers across the paddock have flagged the track as one of the more difficult additions to the calendar.

Race organisers had framed the July test as a logistical rehearsal, with Ferrari deploying race-weekend-level personnel and equipment to help validate operational procedures at the circuit. In practice, however, the on-track data gathered appears to have been of little use to the team’s engineers.