F1 News
Hamilton's TPC test still 'very good' despite incident with the SF-23
According to former Williams employee Peter Windsor, no matter how the test ended last Wednesday for Lewis Hamilton in Barcelona, it was still a positive one for the British driver.
Hamilton's second day of Ferrari's TPC test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya ended with a crash. Fortunately, the seven-time world champion was okay, however, the SF-23 could not be repaired in time for Charles Leclerc to complete his test scheduled for the afternoon.
'Hamilton feels more at home at Ferrari'
"On the face of it, Lewis Hamilton’s first proper test with Ferrari which took place in Barcelona last week was not the greatest of tests," Windsor began sharing his verdict.
Still, the analyst wanted to underline that this only was Hamilton's first proper test with the Scuderia, after he made his Fiorano debut. "My take is that it was actually a very, very good test for Lewis and I think all Lewis Hamilton fans can feel delighted at the way that test went."
Windsor therefore already values that the seven-time world champion was willing to take the Ferrari car to the limit, that according to him reveals the drivers confidence. "Nothing to do with a bump on the road or any of that stuff, it was all tied to how good Lewis felt in the car and how he’s feeling within the team, he feels great in the team," Windsor believes.
Windsor then also pointed it is a good sign that Hamilton was more comfortable in a Ferrari than in other cars under the current regulations, even if the SF-23 (used by the team in the 2023 season) is not the nicest car to drive. "But guess what, in that car, Lewis Hamilton felt better than he’s felt certainly over the last couple of years in Formula 1 in the Mercedes, probably going back I would think to the beginning of 2022," he concluded.
This article was written in collaboration with Ludo van Denderen
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