How plans change after Lewis Hamilton's crash: SF-23 and SF-24 on track in Barcelona
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As had been known for some time, confirming our earlier reports, Ferrari had scheduled, in addition to last week’s Fiorano test, three days of testing (Test of Previous Cars with the 2023 SF-23) at the Barcelona circuit. This was intended to allow both the race drivers and reserves to shake off the rust after the winter break. Moreover, the session was designed to help the new arrival, Lewis Hamilton, familiarize himself with Ferrari’s procedures, get to know the trackside personnel, and assess the effectiveness of the changes to the steering wheel and pedals he had requested since joining. However, this work program was disrupted by an incident on Wednesday morning, when Sir Lewis went off track in the third sector of the Catalan circuit, hitting the barriers and severely damaging the SF-23.
Long repairs, disrupted plans
The crash led to the session being halted and track personnel intervening to recover the car and return it to the Ferrari garage. The mechanics faced a lengthy repair process, and after an initial assessment of the damage, they spent many hours restoring the SF-23, only completing the work late in the afternoon. This made it impossible for Charles Leclerc to carry out his scheduled running in the afternoon after the British driver. Despite this setback, the team did everything possible to avoid altering the plans for the final test day, with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc leaving the Catalan circuit hoping to make up for the lost mileage.
New plan: two cars on track
Following this, as we exclusively reported, the team urgently sent a composites specialist to Barcelona on Wednesday evening to assess the damage to the car (affecting the wings, suspension, and potentially the chassis) and to manage the continuation of the test program, as well as the production and rotation of spare parts for the car chosen for this season's TPC sessions. Additionally, the trackside staff, led by deputy team principal Jérôme D’Ambrosio, is evaluating ways to recover the lost mileage before pre-season testing begins in Bahrain. According to our sources, next week Ferrari is expected to field two cars on track: the SF-24 (in mule-car configuration) for Pirelli's 2026 tire development tests and the SF-23 to allow the race drivers to continue their testing.
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