Ferrari share key detail about Lewis Hamilton’s 2026 F1 car | F1 | Sport

Ferrari have revealed the name of their 2026 Formula 1 car – the one which Lewis Hamilton hopes will deliver his first Grand Prix victory in red. The seven-time world champion’s dream move to the Scuderia swiftly turned into a nightmare last year as, for the first time in his F1 career, Hamilton went the entire season without a single podium finish.

Now aged 41 after celebrating his birthday on Wednesday, time is running out for the Brit to secure the eighth title he wants to win before retirement. Much of his hope is being put on this upcoming 2026 season, for which Ferrari have been preparing for a long time given their decision to switch development focus to their new car earlier than originally planned last year.

Ferrari will pull the covers off that car at their base in Maranello, Italy, later this month. Their season launch event is scheduled for Friday, January 23 – the same day as Alpine plan to launch their new car in Barcelona. Haas had also originally chosen the 23rd as their launch day, but brought theirs forward to Monday, January 19, to avoid being lost in the noise of two other teams showing off their new cars.

Up to now, they have refrained from sharing any details about their newest racing machine, including the name. But, in a social media post on Friday, Ferrari confirmed that they have stuck to their current convention and naming system by christening their new car the SF-26.

The ‘SF’ is shorthand for Scuderia Ferrari, the official name of the Italian outfit, while the ’26’ is a reference to the season in which the car will be raced. Last year’s car was named the SF-25, so fans will be unsurprised by the moniker given to Ferrari’s latest challenger.

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They will hope, though, that the car will deliver a lot more joy over the 24 Grands Prix and six Sprint races to come in 2026. Hamilton’s surprise Sprint race victory in China last March was the only victory secured all year, with Charles Leclerc managing seven Grand Prix podiums but zero wins.

Even if Ferrari do deliver a title-challenging car, it remains to be seen whether Hamilton still has what it takes to get the job done after such a chastening 2025 campaign. His former performance engineer Jock Clear, who left Ferrari at the end of last year, is confident that the Brit is still sharp enough. “He just needs time,” Clear said.

“Lewis is not going to give up just because 2025 was tough. He foresaw it being very tough. Hamilton will come back stronger and harder next year, work on the development, and do everything he can do to see the project through.”