Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes team have taken part in a secret test as they scramble to return to the front of the Formula One pack. Hamilton has been cast a distant 68 points adrift of championship leader Charles Leclerc ahead of the sixth round of the season in Spain on Sunday. Hamilton has won six of the past eight titles – and was only beaten to last year’s championship by Max Verstappen at a deeply contentious season finale. Fernando Alonso, who won two world championships in 2005 and 2006, said Hamilton’s troubles prove the importance of having a winning machine.

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