Lewis Hamilton has experienced a crash while piloting Ferrari's 2023 car during pre-season testing in Spain. The seven-time world champion reportedly emerged unscathed after losing control at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Wednesday, which was only his second day of testing. Ferrari opted not to provide comments regarding the incident, emphasizing that Hamilton is adapting to an unfamiliar car, following 12 years with Mercedes.
The crash aligns with Ferrari's strategy to smoothly integrate Hamilton into their team ahead of the season opener at the Australian Grand Prix scheduled for March 14-16. Ferrari officials have described the incident as a normal part of Hamilton's adjustment period, underscoring that the strict testing limitations in Formula 1 are also a contributing factor.
Under current F1 regulations, race drivers are permitted to run a maximum of 1,000 km (621 miles) on older models for testing purposes. Before the incident in Barcelona, Hamilton logged 30 laps at the Fiorano test track on January 22, which preceded this week's three-day testing session.
Ferrari has remained tight-lipped concerning the specifics of the testing regimen, which focuses on Hamilton learning the team's unique protocols and collaborating with race engineer Riccardo Adami and the engineering team. Additionally, the team plans to unveil their 2025 car at Fiorano on February 19, just after F1's season launch event in London.
To ensure Hamilton gains more track experience prior to the car launch, Ferrari is preparing additional test sessions, including a Pirelli tire test. In conjunction, McLaren is conducting similar Pirelli evaluations at Paul Ricard in France this week, as the tire manufacturer aims to establish its products for the 2026 season.
The crash aligns with Ferrari's strategy to smoothly integrate Hamilton into their team ahead of the season opener at the Australian Grand Prix scheduled for March 14-16. Ferrari officials have described the incident as a normal part of Hamilton's adjustment period, underscoring that the strict testing limitations in Formula 1 are also a contributing factor.
Under current F1 regulations, race drivers are permitted to run a maximum of 1,000 km (621 miles) on older models for testing purposes. Before the incident in Barcelona, Hamilton logged 30 laps at the Fiorano test track on January 22, which preceded this week's three-day testing session.
Ferrari has remained tight-lipped concerning the specifics of the testing regimen, which focuses on Hamilton learning the team's unique protocols and collaborating with race engineer Riccardo Adami and the engineering team. Additionally, the team plans to unveil their 2025 car at Fiorano on February 19, just after F1's season launch event in London.
To ensure Hamilton gains more track experience prior to the car launch, Ferrari is preparing additional test sessions, including a Pirelli tire test. In conjunction, McLaren is conducting similar Pirelli evaluations at Paul Ricard in France this week, as the tire manufacturer aims to establish its products for the 2026 season.
