Lewis Hamilton has said the new F1 cars "feel" slower than F2 machinery, despite insisting they are "a more fun car to drive" than the previous generation.
The seven-time F1 drivers' champion's feelings towards the contemporary ground effects cars are well documented, and he has been generally complimentary of the new regulations so far.
However, he was quick to highlight that they are slower than those raced between 2022 and 2025.
Whilst correct, the Ferrari driver erronously claimed they were slower than F2 cars. Last season, the pole time in the senior-most support category was 1:44.08.
On the first morning of running at the Bahrain International Circuit, Max Verstappen set a session-best time of 1:35.433.
Hamilton ended the four-hour stint fourth fastest, exactly one second slower than the Red Bull driver.
"Reflecting on the new cars, the 41-year-old told media, including RacingNews365: It's a lot less downforce.
"The car is shorter, it's lighter, and it's actually easier to catch," he added, having also had a spin during his time in the SF-26.
"It's quite fun, it's like rallying a lot. Yeah, I think we're slower than GP2 [F2], right now, right? I mean, it does feel like that."
Hamilton explained that the car felt worse in Sakhir than it had during the private shakedown at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
"Barcelona didn't feel too bad," he said. "Here [in Bahrain], it's been very gusty, and it's a lot hotter, so much harder to find the right balance. So I think everyone's struggling."
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A car more suited to Hamilton's driving style?
When he was questioned on whether the new cars were more to his liking than the last era, the 105-time grand prix winner was keen to avoid taking a definitive stance at this stage of the year.
"I think at the moment, it doesn't feel anything like the genre before, and it's really just far too early days," he replied.
"With the baseline car that we have, we're still trying to test amongst the different things. We're still trying to find the window that it likes to work in.
"Haven't optimised the tyres, haven't optimised the aero package yet, the ride height, the mechanical balance, all these different things.
"So, I'm not going to judge it just now. It didn't feel great out there today with the wind. It is very, very gusty here — the gustiest I can remember it being here.
"We'll just have to take it with a pinch of salt. Plus, it's the first day here [and] in the morning, it's never fun.
"But in general, as I said in the last test, it's a more fun car to drive."
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Sam Coop and Nick Golding, as they look ahead to the first of two three-day tests in Bahrain! The trio discuss who to keep an eye on and the fascinating approaches being taken to car development in 2026.
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