Lewis Hamilton speaks out on F1 test crash as Ferrari set for 'unprecedented' situation

Lewis Hamilton volition thrust again for Ferrari adjacent week successful a Pirelli tyre test, aft his past Barcelona league connected Wednesday ended prematurely erstwhile helium crashed the SF-23

Lewis Hamilton has made it wide that his enthusiasm has not been dampened by his investigating clang this week.

While driving 1 of Ferrari's older cars astatine the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this week, the Brit mislaid power and buried the reddish racing instrumentality into a barrier. He was unhurt but the incidental caused important harm to the car.

It meant that would beryllium the past of his moving during the three-day trial successful Spain. And it was besides atrocious quality for team-mate Charles Leclerc who ne'er got retired connected way astatine each due to the fact that visibility was excessively mediocre by the clip mechanics had finished putting the car backmost together.

But the incidental itself is nary origin for alarm arsenic investigating crashes are not uncommon. And reports from Italy person absolved the seven-time champion of blame, suggesting that a bump connected the way unsettle the car and caused it to rotation retired of control.

A clang is ne'er amusive for a driver, but Hamilton is inactive precise excited for his competitory debut for Ferrari which creeps ever closer. Posting immoderate photos connected societal media, helium wrote: "First contention can't travel soon enough," confirming his eyes are firmly fixed connected the Australian Grand Prix play opened successful March.

Before then, though, determination is much investigating to do. The authoritative three-day pre-season volition instrumentality spot successful Bahrain astatine the extremity of February where, similar each his rivals, Hamilton volition get the accidental to decently enactment his existent 2025 racing instrumentality done its paces for the archetypal time.

He won't person to hold adjacent that agelong to get backmost retired connected track, though, arsenic Ferrari are taking portion successful a Pirelli tyre trial adjacent week. That two-day lawsuit is besides taking spot astatine the Barcelona circuit and volition spot the squad nonstop a unusual 'mule' mentation of its 2024 car retired for immoderate running.

That's according to Italian work Autoracer which reports: "Ferrari, for the Pirelli test, volition tally successful Spain with a 'Monza-style configuration'. An unprecedented set-up for a circuit similar Montmelo, which successful mean conditions requires precise ample wings.

"McLaren has already experimented with this set-up [in a abstracted Pirelli test] astatine Paul Ricard, to simulate the little downforce that the 2026 cars volition have, which volition person a downforce comparable to that of the 2024 cars successful the Monza version. The mule cars are besides moving lightened, to simulate the -30kg that adjacent year's cars volition have."

Those 2 days connected way moving Pirelli's programme volition beryllium Hamilton's past due investigating days until Bahrain. Other than that, his lone different accidental to get down the instrumentality of an F1 car volition beryllium for a little shakedown of Ferrari's caller challenger, the SF-25, aft it is unveiled successful mid-February.