Overview
- Ferrari sent the SF-26 onto the 20-turn Madring on July 9, with Charles Leclerc starting the session and Lewis Hamilton also completing laps.
- The SF-26 became the first current Formula 1 car to run the full Madring layout, giving drivers and engineers initial on-track impressions ahead of the circuit’s debut.
- The session ran under FIA filming-day rules that limit mileage and require promotional Pirelli tyres, capping Ferrari’s activity at roughly 200 km, or about 37 laps if the full allowance is used.
- Organisers had the track surface, pit lane and race elements such as kerbs and run-offs in place for the filming day, but much of the surrounding infrastructure and spectator areas remain under construction.
- The run follows a May promotional drive by Carlos Sainz and gives teams and organisers an early test of safety, communications and street-closure logistics as they race to finish work before the 11–13 September Grand Prix weekend.