Mercedes suffered an early setback in Formula 1 pre-season testing at Jerez on Tuesday when Lewis Hamilton crashed the new W05.
The Brackley-based team had appeared to have gained a headstart on the opposition, with its new car completing the most laps during a slow start to 2014 running.
But at 12.41pm Hamilton’s car suffered a front wing failure at the braking area for turn one, sending him into the barriers.
According to onlookers, the wing broke and slipped underneath Hamilton’s front wheels, meaning he could not steer or brake effectively to bring his car under control.
Hamilton’s car speared head first in to the barriers on the outside of the corner, sustaining damage to the nose area and front suspension. The former world champion was uninjured in the crash though, and returned to the pits shortly afterwards.
It is unclear how long the damage will take to repair, but with teams struggling to get their new cars ready for the first test it may be that Mercedes is unable to get going again before Wednesday.
