Lewis Hamilton encountered a crash while driving Ferrari's 2023 car during pre-season testing in Spain, marking an unexpected incident on his second day of running at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The seven-time F1 champion emerged uninjured from the mishap, which occurred during the team’s effort to integrate him into their operations ahead of the Australian Grand Prix scheduled for March 14-16.
Ferrari opted not to provide comments on the incident, which follows Hamilton's transition from a 12-year stint with Mercedes. The organization considers the crash routine as Hamilton familiarizes himself with the vehicle's characteristics under strict testing limitations imposed on Formula 1 teams. With current restrictions allowing only a maximum of 1,000km (621 miles) of TPC—or testing of previous cars—Ferrari is participating in a constrained testing program this season.
Prior to the Barcelona run, Hamilton completed 30 laps at Ferrari's Fiorano test track on January 22 and has now shifted focus to refining his skills alongside teammate Charles Leclerc in this week’s three-day test in Spain, the venue of the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix. Although specific details regarding the test remain under wraps, Hamilton is actively learning the team’s protocols, building rapport with race engineer Riccardo Adami, and engaging with the engineering team.
Looking forward, Ferrari plans to unveil their 2025 model at Fiorano on February 19, a date following F1's season launch event at O2 in London. More opportunities for Hamilton to accrue testing mileage will come during an additional test run aided by Pirelli, with further sessions scheduled for next week at Barcelona on February 4-5. This will involve modifications to the car reflecting new regulations set for implementation in 2026, a key focus for both Ferrari and McLaren, who are concurrently conducting similar Pirelli tests at Paul Ricard in France this week.
