Coulthard offers theory behind cause of Hamilton-Ferrari crash

Former F1 driver David Coulthard has voiced why Lewis Hamilton may have crashed during a private Ferrari test last week.

Hamilton is preparing for his first season with the Maranello-based outfit following his seismic switch from Mercedes.

As part of his integration into the Scuderia, the seven-time F1 champion was conducting a TPC [Testing of Previous Cars] session at the Circuit de Catalunya, only to suffer a crash in the final sector.

Speaking on the Formula For Success podcast, Coulthard played down the incident's significance.

“Much was made overnight about his recent test in Barcelona,” he said. “He had a small off there. Any small off you can call a crash.

“Going off is an occupational hazard. It doesn't matter if you were the late great Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher or the current Ferrari driver, Lewis Hamilton.

“We can all have an off at any certain point."

Coulthard suggests new power unit behind Hamilton crash

The upcoming season will be Hamilton's first in 12 years he has not been part of the Mercedes set-up.

More dramatically, it will mark the first time in his career he has not used a Mercedes engine as his six-season stint with McLaren from 2007 to 2012 was also spent powered by the German manufacturer.

As he continues to get up to speed with the new systems, Coulthard suggested it could be a key reason behind his off in Barcelona. 

“I see it as simply as this," he added. "He has to get used to the control systems in that Ferrari, the power delivery.

“They’re dealing with hybrid engines, so it's not the natural torque acceleration of an internal combustion engine.

“Electrical energy comes in like that. And I suspect he’s so embedded in his mind about the Mercedes hybrid F1 engine that he was simply caught out.”