Hamilton, widely regarded as one of the greatest drivers in the history of the sport, had joined Ferrari with high hopes of furthering his legendary career. His departure from Mercedes in 2024 was seen as a bold move to embrace a new challenge with the iconic Italian team. However, just months into his tenure, Hamilton has decided to step away, citing unforeseen circumstances.
was a significant moment for the two parties as Hamilton’s switch from McLaren caused much noise in the off-season.
However, Hamilton managed just 15 laps during the session before a brake failure into the Turn 6 hairpin caused the Briton to skate across the gravel and into the tyre barrier – bringing the notable day to an abrupt end.
Hamilton waved off the significance of the crash after stepping out of the cockpit.
“I’m just glad that firstly I’m safe and that it’s happened now, not when we’re in the season or something,” said Hamilton.
“This is what testing is about. It’s about getting through those development phases, errors or whatever they may be and working on them and that’s what the guys are doing.
“[The impact] was pretty heavy but it wasn’t as bad as I’ve experienced in the past.”
Hamilton returned to the cockpit on day four of the test and managed a far more productive day, logging 145 laps.
From there, the partnership grew from strength to strength and enjoyed unparalleled success across the next 12