May 24th 2025.
Lewis Hamilton, the renowned Formula One driver, suffered a major setback in his quest to win the Monaco Grand Prix. During the third practice session, he crashed into the barriers, causing significant damage to his car. This was a blow to his chances of victory, especially with Ferrari unexpectedly dominating the pace at the iconic street circuit this weekend.
Hamilton's teammate, Charles Leclerc, proved to be the fastest in all three practice sessions, followed closely by other championship contenders such as Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, and Max Verstappen. However, Hamilton's performance with the Scuderia team has been lackluster so far, as they have been lagging behind McLaren, Red Bull, and Mercedes. Nevertheless, he did manage to win the sprint race in China.
Unfortunately, his weekend in Monte Carlo was heavily compromised by the crash in the final practice session. As he approached turn three on a flying lap, the 40-year-old was caught off guard by slow-moving traffic and their turbulent air. This caused his car to snap and lose control, ultimately resulting in a collision with the barriers. The right side of his SF-25 was wrecked, and the red flag was brought out, halting the session.
Hamilton, who is a seven-time world champion, finished the final practice session as the fifth fastest. He apologized to his team over the radio, saying, "Damn, hit the wall! Sorry, guys." Thankfully, he walked away from the crash unscathed. However, the Ferrari mechanics now face a race against time to repair his car in time for qualifying at 3pm.
In the past, such incidents have resulted in gearbox changes, which incur grid penalties for the race. Given the limited overtaking opportunities in Monaco, this would have been a disastrous punishment. However, according to Sky Sports, there are no longer any gearbox grid penalties. Reporter Ted Kravitz also mentioned that the damage to Hamilton's car is not as severe as it may seem, and it should be ready for qualifying. He added, "I don't think we're looking at any doubt about Lewis Hamilton's car being ready for qualifying, it's just that lunch will be cancelled at Ferrari."
The stewards briefly investigated the involvement of slow cars, such as Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli and Haas' Esteban Ocon, in the crash. However, no further action was taken. As is the case every year at the narrow Monaco track, traffic has proven to be a major problem. In fact, Leclerc crashed into the back of Lance Stroll and destroyed his front wing just minutes into the first practice session on Friday.
Jenson Button, the 2009 champion and Hamilton's former teammate, commented on the situation, saying, "I don't know what he was going to do if he didn't crash because he was going to crash into the cars in front." He also mentioned the difficulty of navigating the track at high speeds with reduced downforce due to the car in front. He said, "It's definitely Lewis' mistake, but it was not an easy situation for him at that point. A loss of downforce has definitely hurt him there."
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