Lewis Hamilton insists he is 'loving it' at Mercedes after spending time on track with this new team in
Jerez last week.
The Briton spent two days testing in Spain at the wheel of the new F1 W04, although the opening day was brought to a premature conclusion when a brake issue saw him go off track.
However, Hamilton bounced back for a solid second day on track and he said he was already feeling comfortable within his new team after his lengthy spell with McLaren.
“I don't live my life with any regrets,” he told the official F1 website. “When I make a decision that I've had time to think about, generally I never have to think about it again. When you make decisions on a whim, you might regret it – but I don't do that.
“So far I am loving it here. The team is great, everybody is so welcoming and it feels fantastic to work with a new group of people. I honestly feel that this could be a place for me to grow something new.”
Although he admitted that the issues that had faced Mercedes on the first two days of the opening test had been a 'surprise', Hamilton added that his initial impressions of his new car were positive although he wasn't prepared to compare it to the
McLaren he raced in 2012.
“On the first day I basically did only installation laps and then I suffered a crash,” he said. “My second day was pretty promising. The aim was to do as much mileage as possible - and we did 145 laps. That is not bad for a day's work. As the track is very abrasive, we basically ran hard and medium tyres so you are not looking massively at lap times.
“Very clearly the car is at an early stage, and as I have no comparison to Mercedes' 2012 car I have to get acquainted from zero - and that takes time. Overall the feeling is positive and comparing with the past is not my thing.”