Ferrari’s running at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has been delayed after Lewis Hamilton suffered a significant crash on his third day of running with the Scuderia.
Following his first on-track day with Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton continued to rack up more mileage on Tuesday as the Scuderia is ramping up its preparation for the upcoming season.
Hamilton completed his first visit to Ferrari’s Italian headquarters last Monday when he met engineers and the staff at the Scuderia’s F1 department. The Briton then took part in photo shooting on Tuesday before performing work in the simulator.
The Briton then hit Ferrari’s own test track at Fiorano on Wednesday. Even if weather was far from ideal, the seven-time F1 champion carried out some installation laps and start practices before racking up some mileages on slick tyres to end the day with a total of 30 laps.
The 105-time F1 race winner was supported by his mother Carmen, his former trainer Angela Cullen while team boss Fred Vasseur and deputy team boss Jerome d’Amborosio also looked on.
Ferrari has now headed to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya to complete more running with the two-year-old SF-23 in slightly better weather conditions. Charles Leclerc fulfilled driving duties in the morning, and Hamilton took over the 2023 F1 Ferrari in the afternoon.
The Maranello-based outfit has continued with their on-track program on Wednesday. However, according to Italian media, Hamilton has suffered a crash which caused significant damage to the modified SF-23. The incident is believed to have occurred around 11 AM.
According to the report, Ferrari are assessing the damage now, which means that Leclerc’s afternoon session has been delayed.
Next week’s tyre test
The Scuderia will remain in Montmelo next week to take part in the Pirelli tyre test. That running will see McLaren also join Ferrari at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya where Pirelli will try out its 2026 products.
The tyre test will mark the first time that Hamilton drives the 2024 F1 Ferrari, the SF-24 as teams are allowed to use their most actual cars during tyre testing.
The 2026-spec tyres will continue to feature 18-inch rims, but the front tyres will be 25mm narrower while the rears will be reduced by 30mm in width compared to the 2025 tyres.
The pre-season shift has begun 💪 pic.twitter.com/mNeC7a2j8R
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) January 28, 2025
