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Lewis Hamilton

When Hamilton crashed on first day with new F1 team

Lewis Hamilton is taking part in his inauguration at the Ferrari F1 team - but a previous first outing for another squad was not a smooth affair.

Hamilton Jerez 2013
Throwback
To news overview © XPBimages

Lewis Hamilton's decision to depart Mercedes for Ferrari sent shockwaves through the paddock as many deemed the Brackley-based squad would be Hamilton's home until his F1 retirement.

It was a similar situation in 2012 when Hamilton declared his choice to leave McLaren and join Mercedes, having been associated with the former since his early teens.

The option to join Mercedes was heavily questioned at the time - but it proved to be a highly successful choice for Hamilton.

Across the following 12 seasons, Hamilton won six F1 titles, 84 race wins and 78 pole positions - fashioning himself as the most successful driver in F1 history.

Despite the partnership turning into a historic one, Hamilton's adventure with Mercedes started in the worst possible fashion.

Hamilton crashes early into new F1 chapter

The Mercedes W04 was launched on February 4 in Jerez, which was the location of the first pre-season test of the year.

The car took to the track that day for an initial shakedown ahead of the official test the following day.

Nico Rosberg was behind the wheel of the car for the first of four days of running, which commenced the final season for F1 and its V8 engines.

However, the year started disastrously for Mercedes as Rosberg was forced to pull to the side of the track with just 14 laps under his belt when smoke began to emit from the rear of the car. Mercedes would not take to the circuit again that day.

On day two of the test, it was Hamilton's turn to climb behind the wheel and make his first appearance for Mercedes in an official session.

It 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 seasons.

			© XPBimages
	© XPBimages

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