Lewis Hamilton has thanked his fans for their support during a "tough time" amid reports the F1 world champion has split from his long-time girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger.
News of the break-up, which is reported to have occurred over the new year period, surfaced on the final day of testing at Jerez this week.
Although reporters were expressly forbidden from asking the Mercedes driver about his private life in Hamilton's media briefing that night, the 30-year-old has apparently broken his silence on the matter on Twitter.
"Hi everyone. I want to thank you all for the love & support during this tough time. It means the world to me," Hamilton tweeted on Friday.
After a previous split from Scherzinger, Hamilton dedicated his victory in the 2013 Hungarian GP to the singer. "The thought on my mind through the whole race was of someone who is special to me and I wanted to dedicate it to her," he told Sky Sports F1.
While speculation has already been rife on social media that the split could destabilise Hamilton's bid to retain his world title, the Mercedes driver bore a relaxed demeanour when he faced the press in Jerez. The Englishman told reporters that he would spend the two weeks between the first two tests of pre-season "travelling" and at his Mercedes team's Brackley base.
The reputed split is not Hamilton's only off-track distraction as he prepares for the new F1 season. The two-time champion has opened talks with Mercedes about a new contract and it is thought that negotiations continued apace during the four-day test in southern Spain. Hamilton has expressed his confidence that a deal will be agreed despite the existence of what he described as a few "sticky" issues.
The Sky Sports F1 Online team will be providing live commentary from all four days of both Barcelona tests. Sky Sports News HQ will also have live updates from trackside.