Lewis Hamilton spins off at Jerez but happy to be back on track

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/feb/04/lewis-hamilton-formula-one-testing-jerez

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Lewis Hamilton’s first taste of Formula One testing in 2015 did not exactly go to plan as he broke down on the track and broke up off it. After it emerged that the Englishman had once again split from his girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger, the 30-year-old spun off in his Mercedes.

Yet Hamilton emerged unscathed from the cockpit and praised Mercedes’ first pre-season test before the new Formula One season as “pretty special” after the reigning champion racked up 117 laps .

“Paddy [Lowe, the technical executive director] just said it has been the highest week of mileage,” said Hamilton. “That’s a surprise for us all. Nico [Rosberg] had good days with over 150 laps on each and I averaged 100 laps, so it’s great to see the work put in by all the guys in the garage.

“We’ve put some decent mileage on the car this week and although you always want more, the reliability has been pretty special.”