Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc will not return to the track this week
Ferrari's second day of Formula 1 testing in Barcelona was cut short after Lewis Hamilton crashed at the start of the session, bringing the session to a premature end.
The Scuderia Ferrari was in Catalonia to take advantage of the new, more restrictive regulations surrounding Previous Car Tests (PCT) for current F1 drivers. Each team has an annual quota of 1000 km spread over four days, including both main drivers.
Ferrari had already covered 131 km at Fiorano last week, with Lewis Hamilton and his teammate Charles Leclerc behind the wheel of the 2023 season’s SF-23. Both drivers also drove yesterday in Barcelona.
However, Lewis Hamilton went off track at turn 12 around 11 a.m. on Wednesday, heavily damaging the front of the car, including the suspension and bodywork.
Read also: Lewis Hamilton victim of an accident during his second practice session with Ferrari in Barcelona
An aborted taxiing
Charles Leclerc was supposed to take over in the afternoon, and the Italian team hoped to repair the car quickly enough to allow him to drive at the end of the day. However, the repair took longer than expected, and the decreasing light prevented any resumption of testing.
As a result, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc left Barcelona, while Ferrari’s program remains unchanged for the last day of testing this week. Antonio Giovinazzi, the main reserve driver, and Dino Beganovic, the Scuderia’s young protégé, will share the SF-23 on Thursday.
Prema driver and member of the Ferrari Driver Academy since 2020, Dino Beganovic won the Formula Regional European by Alpine championship in 2022 and finished sixth in the last two Formula 3 seasons. The Swede has now reached the threshold of 40 points necessary for the FIA Super License and still needs to cover 300 km at the wheel of an F1 to obtain it. He is expected to participate in Free Practice 1 sessions with Ferrari this year, in accordance with the sporting regulations requiring each team to field rookies during four sessions, two per car, during the F1 season.
Regarding Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, Ferrari will likely be able to organize a final test day with the SF-23 in 2025, according to TPC regulations. The team could also extend its stay in Barcelona by taking advantage of the Pirelli tests scheduled for February 4 and 5, in which McLaren will also participate, in order to complete its fourth day of testing.
