Machinery theory touted as explanation for Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari crash
“That’s something to factor in - it was a difficult car to drive.”
The specific car Lewis Hamilton was driving when he crashed in testing for Ferrari has been identified as a possible cause.
Hamilton caused a stir with a minor incident which caused a Ferrari test day to end prematurely, even meaning teammate Charles Leclerc’s programme was postponed.
But Hamilton was driving the SF-23, the troublesome 2023 Ferrari which may have contributed to his small crash.
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“There is mystery surrounding certain elements of it,” Lewis Larkam told the Crash F1 podcast.
“Ferrari have not commented on it, understandably they want to keep it private.
“A source has told me it was a minor incident.
“For them, it was nothing more than a small incident and a normal part of testing, particularly when you consider Hamilton is used to driving for Mercedes.
“It’s an expected part of testing when a driver is learning a car, and pushing the limits of what that car can do, learning where the boundaries are.
“If you test long enough, you will have an issue or end up in the gravel.
“There are details we’re unsure about, conflicting reports about the size of the incident, and where it took place.
“Some reports said there was minor damage, others said it was substantial. We don’t know for sure because Ferrari have kept it under wraps."
SF-23 noted after Lewis Hamilton crash
“It’s worth noting that it was with Ferrari’s worst car of this generation, from 2023," Lewis Larkam continued.
"Partly due to Red Bull’s dominance. But it was a real handful for Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
“That’s something to factor in - it was a difficult car to drive.”
Hamilton has since driven a 2024 version in a Pirelli tyre test for Ferrari.
His crash won’t cause any long-term confidence problems, it has been claimed.
“Given his CV, his experience and his success, it’s hard to think that it will have affected him,” Connor McDonagh said.
“Maybe there are examples of less experienced drivers - Pierre Gasly had a big crash in testing in 2019 which did affect him. Logan Sargeant had a decent start then a couple of crashes which ruined him at Williams.
“This was part and parcel in testing, and something he can learn from.
“The 2023 car in high-speed corners was difficult to drive.
“It would be more of a problem if he’s driving the 2025 car in Bahrain, or in Australia during practice.”
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
