Ferrari have become the first Formula 1 team to drive on the new Madring circuit, which will replace the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as the host of the Spanish Grand Prix.
The test took place on Thursday, July 9, with Ferrari using one of their allocated filming days to put up to 200km on the brand new track.
Charles Leclerc drove in the morning session, with Lewis Hamilton taking over in the afternoon to complete the day’s running in the SF-26.
The Madring circuit invited Ferrari to carry out the test, giving the Italian team a significant data advantage over all rivals ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix on September 13.
However, the controversy surrounding the session is not centred on the competitive advantage Ferrari have gained by being the only team to have driven the circuit.
Reports emerged suggesting that Madring covered Ferrari’s costs for the testing session as part of the invitation, which has provoked an angry response from rival teams.
In the current era of strict F1 cost caps, any saving on a testing outing can be significant, potentially freeing up budget for car development and other projects throughout the season.
Ferrari have reportedly denied that Madring funded any part of the test session, seemingly aware of the controversy such an arrangement would generate across the paddock.
Ferrari’s aggressive development push comes as Fred Vasseur’s team look to close a performance gap on Mercedes, having already introduced two significant upgrades this season.
An aero package at the Barcelona Grand Prix helped fire Hamilton to his first win for the team, while an engine upgrade using one of their two ADUO tokens was introduced at the Austrian Grand Prix.
A second aero package is reportedly planned for the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, just after the summer break, in a bid to challenge Mercedes in both championships.
Mercedes currently lead the constructors’ championship with 333 points, 78 ahead of Ferrari, while Kimi Antonelli leads the drivers’ standings with 179 points, just 25 ahead of team-mate George Russell, with Hamilton seven points further back.