Lewis Hamilton has faced an unexpected challenge during his pre-season testing with Ferrari, crashing the team's 2023 car at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain. On Wednesday, during what was just his second day behind the wheel, Hamilton lost control of the vehicle but emerged from the incident unscathed.
Ferrari has opted not to comment publicly on the crash, which occurred amidst their efforts to effectively integrate Hamilton into the team before the Formula 1 season kicks off at the Australian Grand Prix scheduled for 14-16 March. The team is working to ensure Hamilton becomes familiar with the car and its dynamics, having spent over a decade driving for Mercedes.
Ferrari considers the incident to be a typical occurrence for a driver adjusting to a new car, given F1's stringent testing limitations. The team is currently operating under restrictions that allow current drivers a maximum of 1,000 kilometers of what is known as TPC (testing of previous cars). Before heading to Barcelona, Hamilton completed 30 laps at the Fiorano test track on 22 January.
To bolster Hamilton’s learning process, Ferrari has not disclosed specific details regarding his training, but he is reportedly engaging with the engineering team, including working closely with race engineer Riccardo Adami. The 2025 car is set to be launched at Fiorano on 19 February, following F1's season launch event at the O2 in London.
Before this launch, the team plans to provide Hamilton with additional testing, including participation in a tire test run by Pirelli. Further testing days are set for 4-5 February at Barcelona, where they will be using a modified 2025 car to reflect upcoming 2026 regulations. Meanwhile, McLaren is conducting a similar tire test in France this week, as Pirelli works on defining its 2026 product lineup.
