Lewis Hamilton unharmed after crashing during Ferrari Barcelona test
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Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton was reportedly exploring the 2023 car's limits when he lost control and hit the barriers at the Circuit de Catalunya.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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BARCELONA – Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton crashed during the second day of his new team Ferrari’s private Formula One testing in Barcelona on Jan 29 but was left unharmed.
The 40-year-old, in his second test with Ferrari following 12 successful years with Mercedes, lost control of the 2023 car and hit the barriers at the Circuit de Catalunya.
A source close to the team told AFP that Hamilton was “absolutely OK” and was still exploring the car’s limits.
The crash was not believed to worry Ferrari officials, with such incidents not uncommon as drivers get used to new machinery.
Hamilton is limited to driving a spec car, with the number of kilometres restricted, under F1 rules.
The Briton is sharing the car with teammate Charles Leclerc as he gets ready for the 2025 season, which begins in March with the Australian Grand Prix.
His two-year deal with Ferrari began on Jan 21, when he powered through laps at the Fiorano test track near Ferrari’s Maranello base.
Ferrari will unveil their new car on Feb 19 at Fiorano, a day after the F1 season launch event in London to mark the sport’s 75th anniversary.
Meanwhile, McLaren chief executive officer Zak Brown expects F1 to deliver a four-way championship battle this season and would also not be surprised if a rival team mirrors McLaren’s rapid rise to the top.
The Woking team were crowned constructors’ champions last season for the first time in 26 years and after finishing fourth overall in 2023 and fifth in 2022. In 2017, they were ninth out of 10 teams.
The longest of campaigns with 24 races also saw seven different drivers, from four teams, each win at least twice.
“I think the field is going to be even tighter than last season,” Brown told the Autosport Business Exchange conference on Jan 29.
“I see the top four teams being just as tight as they were at the end of the year...
“When you see the turnaround we had, there’s no reason why other teams can’t have that type of turnaround.
“I think we’re going to start for an epic season... I think we’re going to have an unbelievable three-, four-way driver championship. And four teams fighting for the constructors’ (championship). I think that’s possible.”
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen will be chasing his fifth successive championship in 2025 after a season that was far from his dominant best.
McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will be among the leading contenders to dethrone him, along with Hamilton and Leclerc at Ferrari.
Norris finished last season as runner-up, 63 points behind Verstappen, but has said he is now ready to mount a proper challenge.
Ferrari finished only 14 points behind McLaren, with Red Bull a distant third and Mercedes fourth.
Brown also revealed that team principal Andrea Stella, a key architect of McLaren’s success, had turned down the role when it was first offered to him in 2020 because he did not feel ready.
The Italian, who had joined McLaren from Ferrari in 2015, finally accepted it in 2022.
Brown also called for permanent stewards in F1 after the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) dropped former racer Johnny Herbert on Jan 29, arguing that his work as a media pundit was incompatible with the role.
Brown said that McLaren would happily pay their share of the cost of professional officials.
Stewards are largely unpaid volunteers, other than travel expenses, appointed by the FIA on a race-by-race basis to ensure the rules are applied consistently and fairly during race weekends and handing out punishments as necessary.
“I don’t think we’re set up for success by not having full-time stewards,” said Brown.
“As far as paying for stewards, this will probably be unpopular amongst my fellow teams (but) I’m happy if McLaren and all the racing teams contribute. I think it’s so important for the sport.
“It can’t be that expensive. If everyone contributes, it’s not going to break the bank.”
Herbert, a three-time race winner from 160 starts who competed for an array of F1 teams in the 1980s and 1990s and won the Le Mans 24 Hours, had been scheduled to officiate at the season-opening Melbourne race on March 16.
The 60-year-old former Sky Sports F1 pundit angered Verstappen and father Jos last season for media comments about the Dutchman’s track behaviour. AFP, REUTERS
