Lewis Hamilton brushed aside his double dose of disappointment on his first official test day of the new year.
Hamilton twice went off the track in McLaren's new car on the final day of a three-day session at the Jerez circuit in southern Spain.
On both occasions the 23-year-old beached his McLaren in gravel, the car returning to the garage on the back of a flat-bed truck.
Hamilton blamed the lack of engine braking for his excursions, one of the driver aids - along with traction control - now banned under new regulations.
"The first time it was just wet," Hamilton said.
"I touched the kerb and just went on to the edge of the gravel - it would be good if there were some proper run-off areas here - and then it was the same again in the afternoon.
"Without these controls helping you on the entry to corners there is a lot more locking of the rear wheels, and when you are on the limit and pushing that is what happens."
Hamilton knows he will quickly have to get used to the new car if he is to again challenge for the world title, as he did last year in his rookie season when he missed out by a point.
"I'm getting used to being without traction control and developing the car," added Hamilton, who still set the second fastest time of the day with a lap of one minute 20.099 seconds.
"But it is so slippery, and even harder without traction control.
"Without these controls it does make it a little bit nervous on exiting corners, which makes it a lot easier to make mistakes.
"But you just have to try and deal with it the best you can. All the teams will have to work hard to understand how to use the power better."
Following a private test last week, Hamilton is at least convinced of the new car's reliability, although there is certainly more room for improvement.
"I've had two and a half days in the car, but I think we've got off to a really good start," he added.
"Even compared to last year it was a big improvement when we went to the first few tests to see the reliability of the car.
"Yesterday, they (team-mate Heikki Kovalainen and official tester Pedro de la Rosa) were doing 120 plus laps, so it just shows how hard they have been working.
"We're moving in the right direction and we just need to keep on chipping away."
But when asked on whether the car was a big improvement on last year's model, he replied: "It will be.
"The car is an evolution from last year, so it feels very similar. Different bits do feel a little better. It will improve."
Rookie Timo Glock surprisingly ended the day on top in the new Toyota, finishing just over 0.3secs quicker than Hamilton, with Fernando Alonso in last year's Renault third fastest.
German Glock, who yesterday felt the car was perhaps not up to scratch, changed his tune today as he said: "I believe we have made some significant improvements.
"It is encouraging to see us end the day with the fastest lap and with the car extremely reliable, allowing us to complete a lot of laps (a day high of 96).
"The team have worked really hard this week to improve the car and I am happy."
Source : www.sportinglife.com
