Ferrari are said to be unconcerned about Lewis Hamilton crashing out of pre-season testing despite the incident disrupting their programme in Spain. The seven-time world champion lost control of the team’s 2023 car at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Wednesday but emerged unscathed.
It was just his second day of driving with his new team and caused Charles Leclerc’s scheduled session to be scrapped with the pair sharing the same car.
The following day was set to be the turn of the reserve drivers to take to the track, but it remains to be seen if the Italian team now amend those plans to give both Hamilton and Leclerc more testing time.
According to Sky Sports F1 reporter Craig Slater, though, Scuderia officials have deemed the incident inconsequential. He claimed to have spoken to a senior team official who confirmed the star was “absolutely fine” afterwards.
The team also seemingly accepts that such occurrences are normal in early season testing, particularly for new drivers still getting used to the set-up. Hamilton and co are due to return to Barcelona next week where they will test out the new Pirelli tyres.
Slater also pointed out that Hamilton crashed in his very first testing session with Mercedes in 2013. He then proceeded to win six world titles under Toto Wolff and co and established the most successful driver-team partnership in the history of the sport.
Under fresh regulations, all teams have to adhere to testing restrictions. F1 rules dictate that current race drivers can only complete a maximum of 621 miles when testing previous team cars.
The 2025 Ferrari will be officially unveiled on February 19, with both Hamilton and Leclerc due to then run it in Fiorano. The first official pre-season testing will then be held in Bahrain from February 26-28.
Hamilton needs to familiarise himself with the operation of the Ferrari engine, having previously driven only Mercedes power units in his F1 career. He will make his race debut for the Italian giants at the Australian Grand Prix from March 14 to 16.
The 40-year-old has said little publicly since his switch became official but did take to social media earlier this month to outline his excitement. “Moving to Scuderia Ferrari, there’s a lot to reflect on,” he said.
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