Ferrari’s test week in Barcelona took an unexpected turn. On Wednesday, Lewis Hamilton encountered problems around 11:00 CET in turn 12, resulting in a crash that prematurely ended the test day. The damage to the front of the SF-23 was significant, preventing the planned afternoon session with teammate Charles Leclerc from proceeding.
Limited Testing Opportunities
Ferrari utilizes the ‘Testing of Previous Cars’ (TPC) regulation, which allows teams to cover 1000 kilometers annually with an older vehicle. Last week, the Scuderia already covered 131 kilometers at the Fiorano circuit, after which both Hamilton and Leclerc were set to clock many kilometers at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya yesterday. However, Hamilton’s crash meant that the car was in the garage for repairs for a long time. By the time the mechanics had completed the work, the visibility on the track was too poor to continue testing.
Ferrari Sticks to Original Test Program
Due to Hamilton’s crash, both he and Leclerc had to end their test program early. Despite this, Ferrari is sticking to the original schedule: today, reserve driver Antonio Giovinazzi and Ferrari junior Dino Beganovic will take over the SF-23. Hamilton and Leclerc have since left Barcelona.
Beganovic, who has been part of the Ferrari Driver Academy since 2020, currently races for Prema and won the Formula Regional European Championship in 2022. The Swede finished sixth in the Formula 3 in the past two seasons.
New Test Day for Hamilton and Leclerc?
According to TPC rules, Ferrari still has the option to organize an extra test day with the SF-23. A logical time for this could be during the Pirelli tire test on February 4 and 5, which McLaren will also attend. It remains to be seen whether Ferrari will use this option to make up for the lost test time.
