Revisited: Hamilton survives first major test crash – ‘I was conscious throughout’

Lewis Hamilton has set the world of F1 and social media ablaze this week with the first photographs and footage of him as a Ferrari driver.

The seven-time F1 drivers’ champion visited Maranello first the first time as a member of the Scuderia and racked up 30 laps of the Italian team’s Fiorano test track.

It was an event almost 12 months in the making and comes in a week that marks 18 years since a significant moment in his then-young motorsport career: a major crash whilst testing for McLaren.

On 25 January 2007, just under two months before the coming F1 season was due to get underway, Lewis Hamilton was testing for the Woking-based team at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, alongside his Spanish colleagues, two-time F1 drivers’ champion Fernando Alonso and reserve driver Pedro de la Rosa.

Then 22-years-old, Hamilton was preparing to embark on his debut campaign in F1, and could count the number of days spent in an F1 car on his hands.

During the private test in Valencia, of which there is no footage, Hamilton was heading down the pit straight when he lost control of his MP4-22 at 185mph, just shy of 300kmh.

This caused him to spin off, flying backwards through a gravel trap and into a tyre barrier. Thankfully, he was unhurt.

“Unfortunately with this sport these things happen. I am completely fine and was conscious throughout,” the British driver said at the time.

His car, however, did not escape unscathed. McLaren was forced to continue the test with only one car – a fate it would have to endure for the start of the subsequent test, as well.

Headline image: A week later, Alonso would suffer technical problems. There were cameras present on that occasion.