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Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton replaced by former F1 driver at crucial 2026 test

Lewis Hamilton was due to jump behind the wheel at Ferrari on Friday but will now miss the day of running.

Hamilton Baku Quali
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Lewis Hamilton will not take part in a Pirelli tyre test with Ferrari on Friday, having been scheduled to carry out driving duties alongside team-mate Charles Leclerc.

F1's tyre supplier Pirelli is set up at the Mugello Circuit in Italy, where it is conducting important tests on its 2026 tyre range.

The tyres for next year will be introduced to F1 alongside a dramatic rule change for both the chassis and power unit regulations.

Pirelli has been testing its range all year, and its latest outing began on Thursday with Haas' Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman driving a mule car based on the 2024 challenger, adapted to accommodate the 2026 tyres.

Romain Grosjean will also get a run out in an F1 car at the test for the first time since his horror crash at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix.

Friday marks Ferrari's turn to gather data for Pirelli, and while Leclerc will be present for the Italian team, Hamilton will not.

The seven-time champion has been replaced by former F1 driver Zhou Guanyu, who returned to Ferrari this year as a reserve driver following his split from Sauber.

Hamilton's reason for skipping the test are not yet known.

However, earlier this week, Hamilton shared that his dog Roscoe had suffered a health scare and urged all to keep the bulldog in their thoughts and prayers.

Hamilton will jump back behind the wheel next weekend at the Singapore Grand Prix as he continues to seek his first podium for Ferrari.

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