Mercedes' problems at Jerez test continue as Lewis Hamilton crashes on official debut

Lewis Hamilton's full testing debut for Mercedes was brought to a crashing halt on Wednesday morning at Jerez when the 2008 World Champion's W04 slammed into a tyre barrier, putting both car and driver out of action for the rest of the day.

The double setback leaves the team uncomfortably short of mileage on their new charger, with the W04 officially only 28-laps-old. Rosberg is due to return to driver duties on Thursday, with Hamilton then returning on Day Four. "Obviously you want to get as much mileage as possible, but this is just the first test so there is no reason to be desperate," Mercedes Executive Director Toto Wolff told Sky Sports News. "There is quite a lot of work to do but we want to do it properly so this is why we are not stressing ourselves to get it done this afternoon. We will do things properly and get out tomorrow morning. "The first indication is that the car looks good and the feedback from the drivers was positive."