Lewis Hamilton escaped a nasty crash unscathed this week after hitting a wall during his Formula One test debut with Mercedes according to a report by Reuters.
Hamilton was going 186 mph towards the end of the track when his rear brakes failed and pitched his car off the track completely, across the gravel, and into the tire wall at the Jerez circuit.
"I hit the brake, and for a split second it was working, but then the pedal just went straight down. It wouldn't work anymore. Then I just had to brace for impact," the 28-year-old former McLaren driver told reporters this week according to Reuters.
The 2008 world champion lasted just 15 laps and only an hour and 48 minutes into a morning session. The damage done to the vehicle, especially to the front suspension, ended Hamilton's day completely.
Hamilton was forced to spend the rest of the day just watching other drivers put some serious mileage on their new cars. This isn't the first accident he was a part of, as it was nothing like the crash he was involved in during the European Grand Prix at Nuerburgring in 2007.
The crash was caused when Hamilton's vehicle lost a wheel.
"That was a lot more painful, but I got back in the car and got on with it. I've had lots of crashes in my career and I've been able to bounce back, so I'm not fazed," said Hamilton, who will be back in the car by Friday according to Reuters.
The driver is starting a new chapter in his career after ending his six year relationship with McLaren and opting to join Mercedes instead. McLaren had sponsored the driver since he was a teenager racing go karts.
"Lewis suffered a loss of rear brake pressure, the front brakes enabled him to slow the car but he couldn't avoid the barrier," said Mercedes, who said the problem was caused by the hydraulic brake line connecting to the right-rear caliper.
When asked if there were any positives he'll take from the track session today, Hamilton responded "Definitely. I'm alive."
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