How Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari shunt in Barcelona impacted Charles Leclerc

Lewis Hamilton’s shunt in a Ferrari Formula 1 car in Barcelona on Wednesday impacted Charles Leclerc as the incident brought a premature end to the team’s day.

Having taken over driving duties on the opening day, Hamilton had got back in the cockpit of the 2023 SF-23 on the second morning of Ferrari’s planned three-day test.

However, the Briton’s run programme came to an abrupt halt when he experienced a crash at Turn 12 at the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya reported around 11am local time.

Hamilton was unharmed despite his impact with the barrier, but the accident caused considerable damage to the car’s suspension and the surrounding bodywork.

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The incident ensured that his team-mate’s session wouldn’t commence on time, but Ferrari had hopes that repairs could be completed in time to get him out on track.

But while the Ferrari crew had rebuilt the car, the sun setting at the Spanish venue meant that the worsening visibility stopped Leclerc from being able to turn a single lap.

The Monegasque, who was restricted to 14 laps in Fiorano last week due to wet conditions, will not add more mileage despite Ferrari still having one day to run.

Both he and Hamilton will not be returning to the circuit, with Ferrari opting not to adapt the schedule to compensate for the track time that Leclerc has missed out on.

Instead, the Italian marque will proceed as planned with reserve driver Antonio Giovinazzi and upcoming prospect Dino Beganovic sharing the SF-23 in Barcelona.

Beganovic, who has been embedded in the Ferrari Driver Academy since 2020, has competed in Formula 3 over the past two seasons, placing sixth on both occasions.

The Swede has racked up the requisite 40 points needed to obtain an FIA superlicense, but he must accumulate 300 kilometres in an F1 car to be awarded one.

Beganovic could be handed FP1 outings on F1 race weekends in 2025, with the revised regulation stipulating that teams must give rookies four appearances across a season.

READ MORE – Lewis Hamilton crashes Ferrari F1 car during Barcelona test