Hamilton suffers minor crash during motorbike test at Jerez

After the high of becoming only the third driver to win five world titles in F1, Lewis Hamilton was given a scare as he suffered a crash while driving the Yamaha YZF-R1, which was used in the World Superbike championship, reported Gazzetta dello Sport.

Luckily, Lewis Hamilton escaped unhurt from the whole encounter and recovered enough to continue riding the Yamaha after the incident. He rode a black bike, which bore his F1 racing number, 44, on a sticker at the back.

Credits: Autosport

The Italian outfit said that Lewis Hamilton was taking part in a test organized by British track firm, No Limits, at the Jerez circuit in Spain. He was riding the bike for the Crescent team, who appealed to his love for bikes and the Moto GP.

The circuit was also the host to F1 races in the past and was the scene of the 1997 title showdown between Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve, where the latter emerged victorious. It was also used for pre-season testing by various F1 teams, though the scene of the Spanish GP has since shifted to the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona.

Lewis Hamilton is a well-known fan of the MotoGP and became an ambassador of famous motorcycling brand MV Agusta last year, and even put his name to a limited edition bike developed by the Italian firm, the F4 LH 44.

The five-time F1 champion also shared a track with LCR Honda's Cal Crutchlow, a fellow Monster-sponsored rider, earlier this year when the pair spent a day riding Superbikes at the Californian Chuckwalla Valley track.

He has been retained by Mercedes for next year but Hamilton hinted at retirement in an interview earlier this year, claiming that he may call it quits if the season is extended to 25 races as Liberty Media is pushing for, because he cannot take the workload.