Hamilton unharmed after crash during Ferrari’s pre-season testing

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton crashed during the second day of his new team Ferrari’s private Formula One testing in Barcelona on Wednesday but was left unharmed.

The 40-year-old Briton, 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 said AFP Hamilton was “absolutely OK” and was still exploring the car’s limits.

Hamilton is sharing the car with team-mate 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 last week when he powered through laps at the Fiorano test track near Ferrari’s Maranello base.

Ferrari will unveil their new car on February 19 at Fiorano, a day after the F1 season launch event in London to mark the sport’s 75th anniversary.

Meanwhile, McLaren chief executive Zak Brown expects Formula One 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 coming back from fourth overall in 2023 and fifth in 2022. In 2017 they were ninth.

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 Wednesday.

“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 next year 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 Charles Leclerc at Ferrari.

Hamilton’s move from Mercedes to Maranello is a key storyline for the season with the Briton chasing an eighth title at the age of 40.

Norris finished last season as runner-up, 63 points behind Verstappen, but has said he is now ready to mount a proper challenge.

Agencies