The bizarre omen that surrounds Hamilton’s first Ferrari crash

Lewis Hamilton suffered a crash during a private test for Ferrari as he continues preparations for a new chapter of his career, in keeping with past test incidents. But is it an omen of what's to come?

The seven-time champion has spent the past week working with the Italian squad as he looks to succeed in a fresh environment after struggling in recent years at Mercedes.

The pre-season preparations have now been marred, however, when Hamilton crashed at Barcelona, reportedly sustaining damage to the suspension and aerodynamic parts of the SF-23.

It keeps in tradition with the difficulties Hamilton has found himself in at pre-season outings for other F1 squads.

2007 - Hamilton crashes his McLaren

In late January ahead of the 2007 F1 season, Hamilton was preparing for his first full campaign as a driver.

He had just emerged victorious in the GP2 category and was placed alongside reigning two-time champion Fernando Alonso at McLaren.

The tale of the difficulties the pair endured together at McLaren is well told, but before Hamilton even had a chance to impress at a grand prix weekend, he suffered a heavy crash.

Testing in Valencia, Hamilton was driving along the pit straight when he lost control of the car and skated across the gravel and into the wall at a speed just shy of 300 km/h.

It was a huge impact, but thankfully, Hamilton was unhurt. He would go on to miss out on the F1 title that year by a solitary point before being crowned the champion one year later.

2013 - Hamilton crashes his Mercedes

Following his seismic move from McLaren to Mercedes, Hamilton could not imagine just how much success the new partnership would bring him.

He would ultimately become the most successful driver of all time through his association with Mercedes and it would become the partnership to set a new standard.

Before the two began to work in unison, however, Hamilton suffered a pre-season crash as he continued to embed himself into the team.

Hamilton was just 15 laps into pre-season testing in Barcelona when he suffered a brake failure at the Turn 6 hairpin.

It would mark the end of the day for the then-one-time champion and he would not get back behind the wheel until two days later when he enjoyed a more positive experience.

The first season with Mercedes was one of highs and lows before the German manufacturer came into its own the following year as F1 embarked on a new power unit era, resulting in Hamilton being crowned champion again in his second season with the team.

2025 - Hamilton crashes his Ferrari

Hamilton's latest F1 test crash again occurred in Barcelona as he took to the track on Wednesday morning in the SF-23.

The crash happened on the second of a three-day test from the Circuit de Catalunya as 40-year-old Hamilton continued to explore his new environment.

While it may have knocked his confidence a little, the veteran has many more opportunities to get up to speed with Ferrari before the start of the 2025 season in March.

While it marked yet another pre-season incident in a fresh environment for Hamilton, as highlighted above, it is a situation he has been in before.

Bizarrely, all three of Hamilton's pre-season crashes have occurred with a new team, and all in Spain.

Significantly, Hamilton emerged victorious in his second season with McLaren and Mercedes.

Should that trend carry over, Hamilton would win his eighth F1 title in 2026, the first year under new technical regulations.