Ferrari sent a composites specialist to Barcelona in the immediate aftermath of Lewis Hamilton’s test crash earlier this week, it has been claimed.
Having staged their traditional January ‘wake-up test’ at Fiorano last week, Ferrari’s preparations for the F1 2025 season moved to Barcelona for the start of a private three-day test on Tuesday.
Ferrari call for ‘specialist’ after Lewis Hamilton crash
Hamilton and team-mate Charles Leclerc split driving duties on a successful first day, with the seven-time World Champion taking over for the afternoon session after his new team-mate ran in the morning.
The running order was planned to be reversed for Wednesday, but Leclerc was prevented from taking to the track at all after Hamilton suffered a sizeable crash behind the wheel of the SF-23 during the morning session.
Reports from trackside claimed that Hamilton’s car left the track at appropriately 11am local time, crashing hard into the barriers in the final sector at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The incident caused severe damage to the suspension and aerodynamic components, with repairs unable to be completed in time for Leclerc’s planned outing.
Initial rumours suggested that Hamilton’s accident occurred at the long, winding and relatively slow-speed right-hander of Turn 12.
However, more recent reports have claimed that it took place at the high-speed final corner – restored to its original form ahead of the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix – with the extent of the damage pointing towards a more violent impact.
Hamilton emerged completely unscathed from the accident, with Ferrari said to be unconcerned by the setback and viewing it as part and parcel of F1 testing when a driver starts to explore the limits of his new machinery.
Ferrari opted against altering their schedule for the final day of running in Barcelona, with reserve driver Antonio Giovinazzi and junior sensation Dino Beganovic taking over from Hamilton and Leclerc as planned yesterday (Thursday).
A report from Italy has claimed that Ferrari were so alarmed by the extent of the damage to the SF-23 that the team ordered a composites specialist to fly immediately to Barcelona.
As per Sky Italia, the motors-addict.com website reports that sources close to Ferrari have revealed that the team ‘urgently sent’ a ‘specialist composites technician’ from Maranello to Barcelona in order to ‘better assess’ the damage to the car.
The move came amid fears that the chassis itself suffered damage as a result of the severe impact, potentially rendering the car unsafe for continued participation in the test.
The car was given the all clear, with Giovinazzi and Beganovic on track for the final day, yet the fact such checks were deemed necessary at all give a further indication of the scale of Hamilton’s accident.
The unnamed individual is also believed to have firmed up plans for the production and rotation of spare parts for the car, which was driven in competition by Leclerc and Hamilton’s predecessor Carlos Sainz in 2023.
Under F1’s regulations, only cars older than two years can be used in TPC [Testing of Previous Car] tests to prevent teams from gaining a competitive advantage for the current season.
As such, the SF-23 model is likely to be used again during the F1 2025 season for the primary purpose of training Ferrari’s young drivers.
In a tweak to the sporting regulations for F1 2025, drivers competing in the World Championship are limited to a maximum of 1,000 kilometres of TPC mileage spread across four days.
The change was reportedly made after some teams voiced concerns after Max Verstappen drove Red Bull’s 2022 car at Imola last June with the test deemed to be against the spirit of the TPC rules, originally intended to give young drivers valuable experience of F1 machinery.
Hamilton has already completed three of his four available test days, having followed up his outing at Fiorano with two days in Barcelona.
However, Hamilton’s crash on Wednesday means Leclerc has technically only completed a total of two TPC days to date.
Ferrari are set to remain in Barcelona for a Pirelli tyre test next week with Hamilton and Leclerc set to take to the track across February 4-5.
The test, which does not count towards the pair’s TPC allocation, will see Hamilton get a rare chance to drive the team’s 2024 car, which has been heavily modified to simulate the different downforce and performance levels expected from the new F1 2026 cars to assist Pirelli’s tyre development ahead of the sport’s new era.
It has been speculated that Ferrari could even extend their stay in Spain next week to make up for their lost TPC track time as a result of Hamilton’s crash.