After the mega hype of his debut Ferrari test at Fiorano, Lewis Hamilton’s return to action with the squad at Barcelona's Formula 1 track this week is a more low-key and serious affair.
Away from the spotlight of the media and fans, the two tests that Hamilton and team-mate Charles Leclerc are scheduled to do over the next seven days are intended to get some proper momentum under way as preparations gear up for the 2025 season.
There will be no posing for photographs, nor the kind of theatrics witnessed at Fiorano as Hamilton visited the Tifosi and Leclerc performed some doughnuts.
Instead, there are clear programmes in place – even if the final run plan, and which driver is running when, remains quite flexible for now.
All that has been posted so far is a video of Leclerc leaving the pits in an SF-23.
Up close with @charles_leclerc and the SF-23 🔊 pic.twitter.com/m4SjaOT66e
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) January 28, 2025
For Hamilton, the focus of this week is about getting more used to the car, the team, his engineers and the different procedures.
Leclerc will be using the week as a way to get back into a routine and get sharp again – as well as get some valuable neck training in too.
Then, for Ferrari itself, it will be a warm-up exercise in the garage and pit wall to work through processes and get used to operating again as they ramp things up for proper testing next month.
The Ferrari private test
Hamilton and Leclerc are taking part first in a private test that the Scuderia has booked at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the next three days.
While running a semi-recent challenger like the SF-23 on a current F1 race track will offer a first chance for Hamilton to push on and explore the limits and handling of Ferrari machinery, there are still some restrictions in terms of what can be done.
Falling under the remit of running that is classified as Testing Previous Cars (TPC), the biggest factor that Ferrari needs to be aware of is the mileage limit.
As part of the new limitations that were introduced as a consequence of Max Verstappen’s Imola test in a 2022 Red Bull ahead of last year’s Spanish Grand Prix, the mileage of current race drivers for TPC running is restricted.
Teams are limited over the season to 20 days of TPC running per year, with only one car available on each outing.
However, restrictions are much tighter when it comes to the use of race drivers for the TPC running.
Under the Sporting Regulations, current drivers can be used for a total of 1000km of running and for a maximum of four of the 20 days available.
So, with Ferrari having used up one of its TPC days with Hamiton and Leclerc at Fiorano last week, if the team uses up three more days with the SF-23 at Barcelona with its current race drivers then it will reach the limit on what is allowed.
But it has emerged Ferrari’s plans with Hamilton and Leclerc may only be for Tuesday and Wednesday – which will take them up to three days of running in total.
According to Autoracer.it, for the final day of the test, Ferrari will bring in reserve driver Antonio Giovinazzi and youngster Dino Beganovic for some valuable running.
Beganovic is likely next in line to be handed Ferrari’s FP1 duties this year, with Ollie Bearman having stepped up to a Haas race seat.
In terms of TPC running, there is also a mileage limit in place.
Hamilton did 30 laps at Fiorano last week, which accounted for 89km, while Leclerc completed 14 laps. That meant their total was 131km.
That means Ferrari has 869km to play with TPC running over the next few days – which, based on the non-chicane configuration of Barcelona, would leave the team with around 186 laps in total for both Hamilton and Leclerc.
It’s not a huge amount, but it is still enough to get a general feel of things.
What the test will not allow Ferrari to do is the evaluation of any current or new components, as the rules restrict what parts can be used.
F1's Sporting Regulations state: “Cars must only use components and software of a specification that have been used in at least one (1) Competition or TCC of a Championship season during the period stated in Article 10.2.a [which refers to the three previous seasons).”
There is also little gain to be had in doing deep tyre work, as such TPC tests must take part on Pirelli rubber that is designed for such running rather than race weekends.
The regulations add: “Only tyres manufactured specifically for this purpose by the appointed tyre supplier may be used.”
Pirelli mule car test
Beyond the three days that Ferrari is conducting itself at Barcelona, there will be further running for Hamilton and Leclerc in a Pirelli 2026 tyre test alongside McLaren next Tuesday and Wednesday (February 4/5).
This will take place in a modified SF-24 car, which has been tweaked to help simulate the downforce and performance characteristics of next year’s challengers.
While the car will not behave exactly like the current machinery, for Hamilton there will be some benefit in getting some mileage behind the wheel of the team’s 2024 design.
The test is organised and run by Pirelli, so the programme is defined entirely by what F1’s tyre supplier requests.
The regulations are also clear that the use of such a car is not a way for teams to test actual 2026 car components – so there is no sense that this will give Hamilton and Leclerc a head start on things for next year.
The regulations state: “Cars must include and are limited to the minimal modifications necessary for the purpose of testing development tyres or for testing components or systems on behalf of the FIA for future Championship seasons, as determined by the FIA.
“No test parts, test software or component changes will be permitted which give any sort of information to the Competitor that is unrelated to the mule car test unless specifically requested by the FIA.”
