HE’S a winner on the track and a winner in love. Lewis Hamilton showed he was a fast mover once again at the Bahrain International Circuit as he sped to the top of the time sheets in testing and raced off with his girlfriend, singer and talent judge Nicole Scherzinger who he recently described as ‘wifey’.
Celebrity followers suggested last week’s Formula One testing at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), marked the first racing event that Nicole had been to since the couple reunited following a heart-breaking split. Early in their relationship she was a regular in the pits during the former F1 champion’s time with McLaren and this was her first visit to watch the Mercedes team in action this season. Hamilton’s best time of 1:34.136 from 120 laps put him first on the time sheets. However, he dismissed his time-topping circuit performance in almost the same manner as he downplayed suggestions that he had proposed to his sweetheart … although he’s looking forward to a spell of relaxation before the next challenge in China. Fresh from the Sakhir test, Hamilton said: “It’s been a long day, running lap after lap to analyse the tyres but driving a Formula One car is never boring. Of course, the nature of a tyre test means we haven’t learned anything in particular in terms of improving the car but it’s useful for Pirelli (the tyre manufacturer) and therefore useful to us in the long term. They just gave me different sets and I told them how each felt. “The plan was just to get in as many laps as we could. The times mean nothing as everyone had their own programmes to run. “It’s been a fantastic few weeks for the team but also a long stint away, so I’m sure everyone is looking forward to heading back home for a well-deserved rest. Of course, it’s a short turnaround before China so I’ll be in the factory to work on ways we can improve.” Earlier this year the British racer tweeted that he had not popped the question: “Hey all, need to talk about these rumours. I thought I should let you guys know that I haven’t proposed to Nicole.” However, a trip to Italy had the rumour mongers on alert again when he captioned a photograph on Instagram with: “This was a great day....truly humbled by the Sistine Chapel plus there with my wifey.” A source told one newspaper that the couple were still finding their feet in the relationship, as they have only just begun dating after breaking up in July last year. Hamilton secured his first F1 victory in Bahrain, making it two wins out of three races this season in the dominant Mercedes. He is back in the driver’s seat for the Shanghai race on Sunday.
