Hamilton pleased with first taste of new McLaren

LONDON: Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton gave his new McLaren the seal of approval on Wednesday after getting back behind the wheel for the first time since he won the title last November.

However the 24-year-old Briton, who completed 81 laps in the MP4-24 at the Algarve circuit in southern Portugal, warned that his team had their work cut out ahead of the season-opener on March 29.

"It was good to be back working with the team, it felt like I'd hardly been away because it was easy to slip back into the routine," he said.