Lewis Hamilton skips Ferrari test as Max Verstappen shines in a Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton’s troubled Ferrari debut season has drawn unflattering comparisons with Max Verstappen’s victorious GT3 outing for the Maranello marque at the Nurburgring.

While Verstappen stormed to a 24-second win in his Ferrari 296 GT3 on debut, Hamilton stayed home to care for his beloved bulldog Roscoe, who he revealed on Instagram is in a coma with pneumonia. That meant Hamilton skipped Ferrari’s Pirelli tyre test for the 2026 regulations at Mugello, with Guanyu Zhou drafted in alongside Charles Leclerc.

“It’s a humiliation,” Cologne’s Express declared. “Verstappen is more likely to win in the Ferrari than Hamilton.”

Italy’s Corriere della Sera reported: “Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton announced on Instagram that his beloved 12-year-old bulldog is in a coma due to the effects of a new bout of pneumonia.He will miss a Pirelli test with Ferrari.”

Former driver Marc Surer told Vollgas magazine he has been surprised by Hamilton’s lack of form. “I thought he would continue to shine thanks to his experience, but that’s not happening,” said the 74-year-old.

“Lewis Hamilton is simply a spoiled brat who has always driven the best cars. If the car suits him, he wins. But as soon as he doesn’t have the fastest car, he struggles.”

Surer compared Hamilton to Fernando Alonso, who he says “can live with compromises and get the most out of every car.” Hamilton’s recent record, Surer added, offered warning signs.

“He already had a tough time alongside George Russell these past two years. Now at Ferrari, he has a super-fast teammate in Charles Leclerc.”