Hamilton isn’t fazed by trouble ahead of bid for eighth crown

LEWIS HAMILTON insists he will not waste time worrying about Mercedes’ pre-season troubles before his bid for an unprecedented eighth Formula One title. The team were hit by a gearbox failure on Friday, while Hamilton spun on the following two days of testing in Bahrain. The Briton was more than a second off the best lap time by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. ‘I don’t waste time worrying because that deters you from finding a solution,’ said Hamilton. ‘It is better that it doesn’t go smoothly now, and does go smoothly when we start racing. This is the perfect time for us to find the issues. Nobody is fazed by it. ‘Everyone is just keeping their heads down. We are a multi-time championship-winning team and we know how to pull together and stay focused on the job.’ The season starts in Bahrain on March 28.