Ferrari make 'surprise' decision ahead of final day of testing after Lewis Hamilton crash

Ferrari have made a 'surprise' decision ahead of their final day of testing in Barcelona after Lewis Hamilton suffered a crash, it has been reported.

Hamilton suffered what was described as a minor crash on day two of testing on Wednesday, losing control of his car and hitting the barriers.

The seven-time world champion was said to be absolutely fine after getting out of the car, though Ferrari had to repair the car which as such limited Charles Leclerc's running in the afternoon.

The team, which is being led by deputy team principal Jerome D'Ambrosio at the Circuit de Catalunya, were initially unsure of the reasons for the crash, but after checking telemetry have deemed it to be likely caused by a 'bump in the circuit' that could have unsettled the car.

Hamilton suffered a crash on day two of what was otherwise a successful second test for Ferrari (Image: Getty)

Ferrari had initially planned for Hamilton and Leclerc to run day two of testing before they handed duties over to reserve drivers Antonio Giovinazzi and Dino Beganovic for day three.

Autoracer report, however, that the Scuderia have decided to stick to their original plan of allowing Beganovic to take over driving duties from Leclerc in the afternoon, a decision described as a 'surprise' among Italian media given Leclerc's lack of running thus far.

Beganovic, 21, took part in Formula 3 last season before switching to Formula 2 for the final two race weekends of the season, securing an impressive podium by finishing in third place in the Abu Dhabi sprint race.

Ferrari reserve driver Dino Beganovic pictured (Image: Getty)

Monegasque driver Leclerc will next to take the wheel when Ferrari take part in a Pirelli tyre test between February 4-6.

Official pre-season testing commences in Bahrain on February 26, with all 10 teams and their drivers able to take to the track in their 2025 cars in what will be their final on-track preparations before the beginning of the 2025 season.

Leclerc will be hoping to get as much running as possible into those three days, which he will share with Hamilton and potentially one of Ferrari's test drivers though schedules are yet to be confirmed.