The Formula 1 edit

Article by Lara Murakami

A fresh Lunar New Year and a fresh season of Formula One are just upon us!
And once again, rumours are flying with Charles Leclerc topping pre-season testing. With it being the Year of the Horse, could this be the year Ferrari finally makes it back on top?

When the average person thinks of F1, they tend to think of the classic Ferrari red.. And this assumption is definitely here for a reason.

Ferrari can be considered THE Formula One team; it’s historic, iconic, and has a phenomenal driver line-up in the unmatched Lewis Hamilton and the talented Charles Leclerc. 

But if Ferrari is so “legendary,” then why was the last time they won a Constructors Championship in 2008, and a Drivers Championship in 2007? AKA when Kimi Antonelli was a 2- year-old toddler, and before Finley and I were even born.

They’ve been stuck in a slump for so long that being a Ferrari fan has become synonymous with continuous depression and disappointment.

And yet, the fanbase remains hopeful and with the results of pre-season testing, we have something new to be delusional about! 

So let’s examine the evidence..

After switching to focus on 2026 early in the 2025 season, their performance at both the Barcelona Shakedown and the Bahrain tests proved that this decision *may* have been well worth it.

At all tests, they logged some extensive mileage, solid reliability that brings a glimmer of hope to the Italian outfit.

Most exciting of all, Monegasque Charles Leclerc logged the fastest lap time of the whole pre-season with a 1:31.992 in the last session of Bahrain testing. This is over 0.8s faster than the next best car, which, in modern Formula One, is a sizable gap. He was even a whole second clear of championship favourite George Russell’s best time..

At the end of the test, team principal Fred Vasseur commented that “Our target was to do a lot of mileage and I think this went pretty well, to collect data, to try to improve session after session, and I think this went well.” Maybe not the most hopeful message, but it shows they were productive! Unlike poor Aston Martin.

Charles explained that “We’ve tested most of the things we wanted, so I feel like it was really good preparation for Race 1 – then for performance, I think we’ve got to wait and see in the first Qualifying.” 

AND I can’t find any pictures, but Charles was reportedly seen smiling, which is always a positive sign. The number of times we had to see him frowning in 2025. The time they fumbled his pole position. 

As for Lewis Hamilton, he wrote this on his Instagram: “This is the most I’ve ever trained between seasons. I’m pushing hard every day to show up stronger than ever this year. With lifting, cardio, flexibility and strength training, everything is about progress and endurance and going further than the day before. See you soon, Melbourne 💪🏾💥” Personally, I would love to see Lewis in the front this year, so this is very encouraging.

So, all in all, pre-season has once again given me hope in Ferrari. In fact, one of my F1 Fantasy teams is straight Ferrari and Haas (Ferrari engine) (with Gabriel Bortoleto added for budget reasons.)

2026 is the year of the horse, and thus, WILL be Ferrari’s year too. FORZA FERRARI!