Lewis Hamilton once again dominated Ferrari-related headlines on Wednesday, but this time, it was for reasons he would have preferred to avoid.
The seven-time world champion suffered a crash at Turn 12 of the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona while taking part in a Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) session. Driving Ferrari’s SF-23, Hamilton was scheduled to complete the morning session before handing the car over to his new teammate, Charles Leclerc. However, due to TPC regulations, both drivers could not run simultaneously.
Hamilton’s accident forced Ferrari to cancel Leclerc’s session entirely, as the damage sustained meant the car could not be repaired in time. Despite the setback, Charles Leclerc showed little frustration, knowing he would have further opportunities to conduct similar tests later in the year or during the winter break.
The Maranello-based team has been working extensively to integrate Hamilton into their system, ensuring he adapts to their operations and car characteristics as smoothly as possible. Despite the crash, the British driver reportedly left a strong impression on Ferrari’s engineers in Barcelona. Notably, he has already demonstrated proficiency in handling the team’s clutch release for race starts—an area where his predecessor, Carlos Sainz, had encountered difficulties—as well as in adjusting to Ferrari’s braking system.
Juan Pablo Montoya on Why Hamilton’s Ferrari Crash Was Significant
While some speculated that Lewis Hamilton’s crash could have been the result of a bump in the circuit rather than driver error, the Briton will undoubtedly want to iron out any issues well before the season kicks off in March.
Naturally, the incident attracted significant attention. History suggests Hamilton’s testing crashes don’t necessarily spell trouble—he previously suffered similar mishaps with McLaren at Valencia in 2007 and with Mercedes at Jerez in 2013, only to win the world title with both teams the following year.
Damon Hill jokingly dubbed Hamilton a “crashing bore,” suggesting that if the pattern holds, he could be on track to claim the 2026 championship with Ferrari. However, former Williams and McLaren driver Juan Pablo Montoya took a different stance.
Speaking on the AS Colombia YouTube channel, Juan Pablo Montoya explained why the crash was a “big deal.” He highlighted that the incident occurred at high speed in a corner where the likelihood of making contact with the barriers was relatively low, making Hamilton’s off-track excursion more notable than it might initially seem.
Montoya stated that Hamilton’s crash did not bother him, as it was a routine test. He explained that the corner in question could be tricky if a driver lacked confidence in the car, as it was a fast turn with multiple potholes that could easily catch someone off guard. He noted that losing control in such a situation was not common but could happen when space was limited.
Montoya further emphasized that the significance of the accident lay in the sheer speed of Formula 1 cars. He pointed out that once a mistake was made and a driver went off track, the likelihood of avoiding contact with anything was extremely low.
Lewis Hamilton may face the loss of a key privilege following his crash with Ferrari in Barcelona.
Although Ferrari downplayed the incident, describing the crash as a minor issue and reassuring that Hamilton was “absolutely fine,” the accident may have implications for the 40-year-old’s testing opportunities later in the season.
The team decided not to adjust their testing schedule in Barcelona. As a result, both Hamilton and Leclerc departed the circuit, leaving Antonio Giovinazzi and Dino Beganovic to take over the SF-23 on Thursday.
Looking ahead, Ferrari will conduct a Pirelli tyre test this week at the same circuit, using the 2026-spec rubber. During this session, the British driver is expected to receive a setup that is considered “unprecedented,” as it will simulate the downforce characteristics of the 2026 car using last year’s model.
In addition, the Maranello team may choose to extend their stay in Barcelona by an extra day to conduct another Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) session, which could help them recover valuable track time lost after Hamilton’s crash.
However, this extension would come with a significant consequence: if Ferrari proceeds with the additional test, Hamilton would have already reached the 1,000km limit for TPC sessions across four days. This would prevent him from participating in any further mid-season tests. TPC sessions are critical for gathering data and pushing car development, as Max Verstappen demonstrated ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix on his path to securing a fourth World Championship title.
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