Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton goes to wrong pit stop box

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton made a mistake at the Malaysian Grand Prix when he tried to make a pit stop with his former team.

The British driver, 28, was world champion with McLaren in 2008 but joined Mercedes for the 2013 season.

He pulled into the pit lane for a tyre change and came to a halt where his former colleagues were waiting.

"I don't know how that happened. The teams look so similar. I have been stopping in that pit box for years.

"[It's] an easy mistake and hopefully one I won't make again."

Hamilton soon realised his mistake and drove further along to his new Mercedes team pit box.

It was only the second race of the 2013 season, with Hamilton finishing third behind the Red Bull one-two of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber.

McLaren mechanics waved Hamilton through as his girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger smiled at the error.

"I don't know how I got it wrong, a big apology to my team," said Hamilton after the race, who pointed out that former team-mate Jenson Button had made a similar error in the past.

"I just did a Jenson, for years I was used to driving into the McLaren pit stop."

The McLaren team tweeted: "Smiles in the garage after a well-worked double pit stop with an unexpected twist."

Later adding: "Feel free to pop in and say 'Hi' any time, @LewisHamilton!"