Lewis Hamilton suffered his first incident as a Ferrari driver during the second day of testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The seven-time world champion lost control of his SF-23 in the third sector of the Montmeló circuit, a challenging series of corners leading onto the start-finish straight. While Hamilton emerged unscathed, initial assessments suggest significant damage to the car, particularly to its aerodynamic components and suspension.
The exact cause of the crash remains unknown, though early speculation points to a braking error. The incident occurred late in the morning session, disrupting Ferrari’s pre-season preparations as the team evaluated Hamilton’s adaptation to his new machinery.
The unexpected crash is likely to delay or even cancel Charles Leclerc’s scheduled afternoon session, as Ferrari engineers face lengthy repairs to adapt the car to Leclerc’s specifications.
The incident also raises concerns about potential changes to the third and final day of testing, with both Hamilton and Leclerc now possibly required to extend their track time to compensate for the lost mileage.
Hamilton had been conducting a more performance-focused programme in Barcelona following his ceremonial debut at Fiorano last week. Despite the setback, Ferrari will now look to salvage as much data as possible before the conclusion of testing.
