Ferrari to pick two replacement drivers to rest Lewis Hamilton on final test day

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are not set to be in action on the third and final day of Ferrari’s private F1 test at Barcelona.

According to Italian publication AutoRacer, Hamilton and Leclerc will step aside after two days of sharing driving duties in a 2023 car to enable Ferrari to evaluate some of their reserve driver options on Thursday.

This was planned before Hamilton crashed his Ferrari on Wednesday, scuppering the team's testing programme for the day.

Ferrari booked out the Spanish Grand Prix venue for three days this week to help Hamilton continue his preparations for the 2025 F1 season alongside new teammate Leclerc.

However, initial reports suggesting the pair would be in action on all three days appear to be incorrect, AutoRacer claim.

Hamilton has had a further opportunity to learn Ferrari’s procedures and establish a working relationship with new race engineer Riccardo Adami in a behind closed doors test which falls under the Testing of Previous Cars (TPC).

The seven-time world champion drove in the afternoon on Tuesday and has been back behind the wheel of Ferrari’s SF-23 challenger on Wednesday morning, a session which ended early due to a crash.

However, Thursday is set to provide other drivers from Ferrari’s pool with a chance to get some F1 mileage under their belts.

Ex-Sauber driver Antonio Giovinazzi, who has held a reserve role with Ferrari since 2017, is set to get some running alongside Dino Beganovic.

21-year-old Beganovic is a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy who will contest his first full season in Formula 2 with Hitech in 2025.

The day will not only provide Beganovic with some important time to familiarise himself with F1 machinery, but also enable him to complete the mileage he needs to qualify for a Super Licence.

Ferrari are yet to officially confirm their reserve driver options for 2025.

Oliver Bearman carried out the role in 2024 and substituted for Carlos Sainz in Saudi Arabia, but Ferrari need alternatives after the Briton secured a full-time seat with Haas for the upcoming campaign.

While Giovinazzi has always been a possible fall-back for Ferrari, Beganovic could emerge as another candidate for the Scuderia.

Beganovic is also likely to be handed some FP1 outings this year to fulfil Ferrari’s mandatory young driver quota.

Zhou Guanyu has also been linked with the role after losing his Sauber seat.

Meanwhile, Hamilton and Leclerc will get further running at Barcelona in a Pirelli 2026 tyre test alongside McLaren next Tuesday and Wednesday (4-5 February).