Lewis Hamilton suffers bizarre crash in Abu Dhabi FP3 as session is red-flagged
Lewis Hamilton crashed at Turn 9 of the Yas Marina Circuit.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images
Lewis Hamilton has crashed out of the third practice session ahead of qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The seven-time champion lost control at Turn 9 as the car bottomed out as the rear lost traction. He was sent into a spin and crashed into the barriers. "Yeah, something buckled at the front and snapped the rear," he explained over the team radio, before climbing out of the car unassisted and retrieving parts of his broken front wing.
Replays show that Hamilton was running in the dirty air of a car ahead of him while he also dipped onto the kerb, which lowered the car to the asphalt.
Both Hamilton and his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc were running in the top five at the time.
Former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports analyst Anthony Davidson gave more insight into the crash as he showed slow-motion footage.
"As far as I can see, there's nothing that's buckling on the right, everything looks OK," he said.
"Of course, when it goes into the wall, the damage is done to the right front and they're not going to be able to tell now. Their post-session investigation is going to be a lot more difficult now because it's all destroyed on the right front.
"The sparks start when he's on the kerbs, the one tiny spark being kicked up, which is the first tell-tale sign that he's ventured onto the kerb and lowered the car's ride height just before turning into the corner.
"I think the combination of that, high-speed corner and the turbulence of the car in front, on top of the balance not being great as well, went against him there."
Hamilton is eager to put these current ground-effect cars behind him. 2026 will see the introduction of a new wave of regulations in the championship.
When asked ahead of the season finale what he will miss about the current cars, Hamilton confirmed: "There's not a single thing I'll miss about these cars. It is as simple as that. I have not enjoyed it."
Photos from Abu Dhabi GP - Practice
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Abu Dhabi GP - Saturday, in photos
Abu Dhabi GP - Saturday, in photos
Abu Dhabi GP - Saturday, in photos
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