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Suspected Cause of Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari Crash Revealed.
Lewis Hamilton’s test with Ferrari at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya came to an early end after he crashed the SF-23 on the second day of the team’s Testing of a Previous Car (TPC) session. The incident, which caused significant damage to the car, was reportedly caused by a bump in the third sector, according to Italian publication Autoracer. Fortunately, Hamilton was unhurt, but the crash forced Ferrari to alter their testing schedule.
After completing a smooth TPC session at Fiorano last week, Ferrari had planned a three-day test in Barcelona using their 2023 car. However, the second day was cut short due to Hamilton’s accident. Under the revised 2024 TPC regulations, race drivers are allowed a maximum of four days of testing, with a total mileage cap of 1,000 kilometers. With the crash disrupting the schedule, Ferrari is now expected to adjust their plans for the final day of running.
Originally, junior driver Dino Beganovic and Ferrari sportscar racer Antonio Giovinazzi were set to complete the third day of testing. However, with Hamilton and Charles Leclerc losing valuable track time due to the crash, Ferrari will likely shift focus to allow Leclerc to recover some of the lost laps.
Hamilton’s next scheduled outing will be on February 4-5, when he and Leclerc will participate in a Pirelli tyre test at the same circuit. They will drive a modified version of Ferrari’s 2024 car, adapted to test Pirelli’s prototype tyres for the 2026 regulations. McLaren will also be present for this test.
This crash marks another first for Hamilton in his new Ferrari chapter, but it’s not an entirely new experience for him. The seven-time world champion has had testing incidents with previous teams as well. In 2007, he crashed a McLaren during testing in Valencia, and in 2013, he had a similar incident with Mercedes at Jerez.
Despite the setback, the TPC sessions are providing Hamilton with valuable track time to get accustomed to Ferrari’s operations and technical environment before officially driving the 2024 car in late February. These tests have become increasingly important, prompting the FIA to introduce stricter limits to ensure that they primarily benefit junior drivers. While teams are allowed up to 20 TPC days per year, championship-registered drivers now face mileage restrictions to prevent excessive private testing.
With Ferrari adapting its plans after Hamilton’s crash, all eyes will be on how the Scuderia maximizes the remainder of its pre-season preparations.
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