Lewis Hamilton as soon as once more dominated Ferrari-related headlines on Wednesday, however this time, it was for causes he would have most popular to keep away from.
The seven-time world champion suffered a crash at Flip 12 of the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona whereas participating in a Testing of Earlier Automobiles (TPC) session. Driving Ferrari’s SF-23, Hamilton was scheduled to finish the morning session earlier than handing the automobile over to his new teammate, Charles Leclerc. Nonetheless, resulting from TPC rules, each drivers couldn’t run concurrently.
Hamilton’s accident pressured Ferrari to cancel Leclerc’s session solely, because the injury sustained meant the automobile couldn’t be repaired in time. Regardless of the setback, Charles Leclerc confirmed little frustration, figuring out he would have additional alternatives to conduct related assessments later within the 12 months or throughout the winter break.
The Maranello-based group has been working extensively to combine Hamilton into their system, making certain he adapts to their operations and automobile traits as easily as attainable. Regardless of the crash, the British driver reportedly left a powerful impression on Ferrari’s engineers in Barcelona. Notably, he has already demonstrated proficiency in dealing with the group’s clutch launch for race begins—an space the place his predecessor, Carlos Sainz, had encountered difficulties—in addition to in adjusting to Ferrari’s braking system.
Juan Pablo Montoya on Why Hamilton’s Ferrari Crash Was Important
Whereas some speculated that Lewis Hamilton’s crash might have been the results of a bump within the circuit moderately than driver error, the Briton will undoubtedly wish to iron out any points effectively earlier than the season kicks off in March.
Naturally, the incident attracted vital consideration. Historical past suggests Hamilton’s testing crashes don’t essentially spell hassle—he beforehand suffered related mishaps with McLaren at Valencia in 2007 and with Mercedes at Jerez in 2013, solely to win the world title with each groups the next 12 months.
Damon Hill jokingly dubbed Hamilton a “crashing bore,” suggesting that if the sample holds, he could possibly be on observe to say the 2026 championship with Ferrari. Nonetheless, former Williams and McLaren driver Juan Pablo Montoya took a special stance.
Talking on the AS Colombia YouTube channel, Juan Pablo Montoya defined why the crash was a “large deal.” He highlighted that the incident occurred at excessive velocity in a nook the place the probability of creating contact with the boundaries was comparatively low, making Hamilton’s off-track tour extra notable than it’d initially appear.
Montoya acknowledged that Hamilton’s crash didn’t hassle him, because it was a routine check. He defined that the nook in query could possibly be difficult if a driver lacked confidence within the automobile, because it was a quick flip with a number of potholes that might simply catch somebody off guard. He famous that shedding management in such a scenario was not frequent however might occur when area was restricted.
Montoya additional emphasised that the importance of the accident lay within the sheer velocity of Method 1 automobiles. He identified that when a mistake was made and a driver went off observe, the probability of avoiding contact with something was extraordinarily low.
Lewis Hamilton could face the lack of a key privilege following his crash with Ferrari in Barcelona.
Though Ferrari downplayed the incident, describing the crash as a minor situation and reassuring that Hamilton was “completely nice,” the accident could have implications for the 40-year-old’s testing alternatives later within the season.
The group determined to not regulate their testing schedule in Barcelona. In consequence, each Hamilton and Leclerc departed the circuit, leaving Antonio Giovinazzi and Dino Beganovic to take over the SF-23 on Thursday.
Trying forward, Ferrari will conduct a Pirelli tyre check this week on the similar circuit, utilizing the 2026-spec rubber. Throughout this session, the British driver is anticipated to obtain a setup that’s thought-about “unprecedented,” as it can simulate the downforce traits of the 2026 automobile utilizing final 12 months’s mannequin.
As well as, the Maranello group could select to increase their keep in Barcelona by an additional day to conduct one other Testing of Earlier Automobiles (TPC) session, which might assist them recuperate useful observe time misplaced after Hamilton’s crash.
Nonetheless, this extension would include a big consequence: if Ferrari proceeds with the extra check, Hamilton would have already reached the 1,000km restrict for TPC classes throughout 4 days. This might forestall him from collaborating in any additional mid-season assessments. TPC classes are essential for gathering information and pushing automobile improvement, as Max Verstappen demonstrated forward of the Spanish Grand Prix on his path to securing a fourth World Championship title.
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