With Lewis Hamilton ticking off an unwanted ‘first’ by crashing his Ferrari on Wednesday, the incident actually portends good omens for the seven-time F1 World Champion.

Hamilton brought Ferrari’s running at a Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) outing to a premature end on Wednesday, with the seven-time F1 World Champion crashing the SF-23 in the final sector at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Lewis Hamilton Ferrari test crash hints at good things to come

It’s been a month of firsts for Hamilton, after more than a decade with the Mercedes team.

Showing up at Maranello to begin work with the Scuderia, Hamilton posed for his first photos in the iconic race suit as well as a particularly dapper photo in tribute to team founder Enzo Ferrari in front of the Italian’s former home.

It’s the start of a whole new chapter in the seven-time F1 World Champion’s career, with his first week topped off by an outing on Ferrari‘s test track as he was set loose in the 2023 SF-23 for an initial shakedown run.

Ferrari booked out the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for a proper three-day test this week, running the 2023 SF-23 again with Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc getting to use up all their permitted TPC mileage over the outing.

But Hamilton brought the second day to a premature end as he crashed the car in the final sector of the lap, resulting in damage severe enough to end the day’s running.

Uninjured in the crash, Hamilton’s incident isn’t likely to compromise his preparations for the new season much, with another test scheduled next week in Barcelona as he and Leclerc take part in a Pirelli tyre test using the 2024 SF-24.

While crashing is rarely something to be positive about, Hamilton boasts an unusual tradition throughout his career that means his move to Ferrari has some good omens ahead of his debut.

Hamilton, upon joining a new team, crashed in the first test outing with said team, but bounced back to have victories in the maiden championship with them… before winning the title in the second season!

2007: Lewis Hamilton crashes his McLaren at Valencia

Having spent 2006 carrying out extensive testing in the McLaren MP4-21, Hamilton, new teammate Fernando Alonso, and test driver Pedro de la Rosa headed along to the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia in January 2007.

As a youngster getting ready for his F1 debut, the test was to mark Hamilton’s first proper crash in a Formula 1 car as he suffered an unusual loss of control at some 300 km/h.

At the private test, there were no TV crews to capture the moment, but it was reported that Hamilton was racing along the pit straight at close to top speed when he spun off the track and flew off backwards into a tyre barrier.

“Lewis is uninjured,” a McLaren spokesperson said at the time, “but the MP4-22 he was driving is badly damaged and will not be repairable in Valencia for Lewis to continue his test programme tomorrow.

“The cause of the accident is being investigated.”

Hamilton quickly brushed off the incident, saying, “Unfortunately with this sport, these things happen. I am completely fine and was conscious throughout.”

Hamilton went on to win his first Grand Prix at that year’s Canadian Grand Prix, narrowly losing out on the title, before winning the championship in his sophomore year in 2008.

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2013: Lewis Hamilton crashes his Mercedes

Leaving McLaren for Mercedes after 2012, Hamilton moved over to the Brackley-based squad to join Nico Rosberg under then-team boss Ross Brawn.

While the move would pay off massively for Hamilton, the switch was seen as a massive risk at the time – and things didn’t get off to a great start.

Heading along to Jerez in the south of Spain, a minor fire due to electrical issues curtailed Mercedes’ running on the opening day, before Hamilton took over for the second morning.

He had completed just 14 laps when he suffered a brake issue into the hairpin, resulting in him hitting the barriers.

“Lewis suffered a loss of rear brake pressure, the front brakes enabled him to slow the car but he couldn’t avoid the barrier,” Mercedes said.

“Obvious damage to the front wing and nose; we’re checking the car over now. Lewis himself is fine.”

Later, the team revealed the cause, “Update from Jerez, we have traced the problem to the hydraulic brake line connecting to the right-rear calliper.”

Hamilton would go on to win the Hungarian Grand Prix that season, adding to Rosberg’s two victories in the W04, before the British driver came out on top of an intra-team battle to claim the championship in his second year with the team.

2025: Lewis Hamilton crashes his Ferrari

With Hamilton getting to grips with a whole new car and a very different environment at Ferrari, his crash on the second day of the Barcelona test with the SF-23 thus might give Hamilton some confidence – if he believes in such portents.

If the omens play out in the same way, with life repeating the pattern, we can expect Hamilton to win at least one race with Ferrari this season, before winning the title in 2026 – the first year of the new regulations.

If it happens, Hamilton will become the sport’s first eight-time F1 World Champion, with the record currently shared with Michael Schumacher beaten.

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