When information emerged on Wednesday that had the 2023 automotive in a personal take a look at in Barcelona, the pure response was that his acclimatisation in scarlet purple wasn’t fairly going in response to plan.
It was a shock. However maybe it shouldn’t have been.
Right here, Hamilton has earlier. It’s an uncanny development that the British driver – one among ’s all-time greats – has crashed in personal testing with a brand new group, a matter of weeks earlier than his first bow in recent colors.
It occurred in Valencia in 2007, testing as a rookie. Then once more six years later for , on the southern Spanish coast in Jerez. Now, in simply his third look behind the Scuderia wheel, the 40-year-old crashed into the limitations on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
However does it truly imply something? Forward of the 2025 season, The Impartial takes a have a look at these earlier crashes – and the wave of success that adopted:
McLaren, 2007
The scene was late January, on the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia.
Hamilton, a matter of weeks earlier than his F1 debut and that well-known first-lap overtake on teammate world champion Fernando Alonso in Australia, was testing his 2007 MP4-22 automotive simply 10 days after its unveiling.
A GP2 champion the 12 months prior, with a behavior of pushing his equipment to the restrict, the 22-year-old misplaced management of his automotive on the pit straight.
At a pace of 185mph, Hamilton’s automotive spun backwards by means of the gravel and crashed closely right into a tyre wall. The automotive was badly broken. Hamilton’s confidence within the cockpit, nonetheless, was not.
“I’m fully high-quality and was acutely aware all through,” he mentioned afterwards. “Sadly with this sport, this stuff occur.”
Undeterred, what adopted was the best rookie season in fashionable Components One. Hamilton got here inside a whisker of a debut F1 world championship, falling excruciatingly on the ultimate hurdle as he spurned a wholesome lead on the ultimate two races in China and Brazil.
A 12 months later, nonetheless, fortune was on his aspect as he claimed the 2008 world championship on the ultimate nook of the ultimate lap in Brazil, to the dismay of dwelling hero Felipe Massa.
Mercedes, 2013
Six years on from his debut, Hamilton had made the monumental and surprising determination to change to Mercedes – leaving his decade-long affiliation with McLaren behind.
Doubts about his daring name had been already swirling as he took to the Mercedes W04 for his first day of testing in Jerez in early February. And simply 20 minutes in, eyebrows had been raised throughout the paddock.
Hamilton crashed out on his fifteenth lap of day one working, although this crash was at a mere 35mph into the barrier. A day earlier, Nico Rosberg’s automotive burst into flames within the German’s first take a look at within the automotive.
Was Hamilton bothered? Not likely.
“I’m fairly relaxed about it,” he mentioned, nonchalantly, after the crash. “I have been racing for seven years, so it’s not like I’m missing in expertise.
“I will need to have been doing about 200mph or so earlier than I hit the brakes coming down the again straight. For a break up second, it was working however then the pedal simply went straight down.
“It would not work any extra. Then I simply needed to brace for affect. As a result of I went in straight my legs took a little bit of a thump.
“It is disappointing for all of us within the group as a result of everybody has labored so onerous over the winter and we did not anticipate this. However I am glad we obtained it out of the way in which now so we do not have to fret about it sooner or later.”
Hamilton completed that first season for the Silver Arrows in fourth, claiming only one solitary win in Hungary, as Mercedes toiled behind Crimson Bull as soon as extra.
But new hybrid engine rules in 2014 marked the beginning of the Mercedes period of dominance, with Hamilton successful six of the subsequent eight world championships.
Ferrari, 2025
And so to the current day. Hamilton said it was one of many “greatest emotions he’s ever had” when he took to the 2023 Ferrari automotive in Fiorano final week for his .
But on Wednesday, in the course of a three-day behind-closed-doors take a look at in Barcelona, Hamilton dumped the SF-23 into the limitations.
Hamilton was mentioned to be “completely high-quality”, and will likely be unperturbed as he appears to be like to tune in to a brand new group and new group of engineers.
The seven-time world champion will bear a Pirelli tyre take a look at in Barcelona subsequent week, earlier than the official three-day pre-season take a look at for all of the groups in Bahrain from 26-28 February. From there, the circus rolls on to the season-opener in Melbourne on 16 March.
Little has been revealed about Hamilton’s crash on Wednesday, however historical past tells us the Briton was doubtless trying to search the restrict of his automotive within the comparatively low-risk environment of a personal take a look at.
That, frankly, will be no unhealthy factor. The chilly, winter temperatures aren’t optimum for this iteration of vehicles, both, as illustrated by the complaints within the chill of Las Vegas final autumn.
Hamilton is claimed to be rejuvenated by his blockbuster transfer this winter. His dad, Anthony, mentioned final week in Maranello that his son had undergone one among his most intense coaching programmes within the low season.
The carrot – a record-breaking eighth world title – is genuinely doable this 12 months, ought to Ferrari present him with a race-winning automotive.
So in sum, Ferrari’s devoted fanbase – the tifosi – shouldn’t be downbeat by this newest improvement. Actually, maybe there could be extra concern if Hamilton wasn’t pushing to the restrict in testing, as he seeks one ultimate hurrah within the fabled Ferrari purple.
