Due to an engine malfunction, Lewis Hamilton had to retire from the Australian Grand Prix after just 17 laps, capping a terrible weekend that saw Mercedes leave Melbourne useless.
Mercedes has acknowledged that they are still baffled as to why Lewis Hamilton’s engine failed during the Australian Grand Prix this past weekend.
After just 17 laps on the Albert Park Circuit, Hamilton’s power unit failed, forcing him to stop the race. The team had a terrible weekend overall because of George Russell’s crash, which prevented them from winning anything in Melbourne.
That outcome validated the Silver Arrows’ worst F1 season start since 2012. They also really needed to avoid having any long-term engine reliability issues exacerbate the performance issues they currently have with their W15 vehicle.
However, team technical director James Allison acknowledged they still don’t know everything that went wrong in a recent debrief video. He declared, “The power units will go back into the capable hands of the Brixworth guys, who can figure out what let go.”
“All we know are the symptoms that occurred at the time, which included an abrupt loss of oil pressure and an engine shutdown to preserve it. In situations like that, the best course of action is to immediately kill the engine to prevent further damage.
“And you’ve got more than just a bunch of molten metal there.” Usually, you have a reasonably clear chain of evidence showing what caused it. You can then work more effectively going forward as a result.
Therefore, we are unsure of what Brixworth and High Performance Powertrains will accomplish quickly. And without a doubt, as soon as we find out, they’ll act quickly with their distinct energy to make sure that any risk that arises from using any other engine is as minimal as possible.”
Particularly for Mercedes and Hamilton, reliability problems have been uncommon; since 2018, the seven-time Formula One champion has only had to retire twice due to engine problems. Furthermore, Allison stated that they do not anticipate the problem to be a reoccurring one that significantly affects how their season plays out.
“We have drivers who are especially good at keeping it on the island, and our overall reliability is a strong point,” he continued. Having a double DNF like that is unusual. We most definitely do not anticipate it to interrupt our season.
“We are more concerned with pace because, if you get it right, the season will work out no matter what. You should generally avoid DNFs due to the car’s inherent dependability, our methodical approach to maintaining it, and the driving expertise of our staff. Since those other foundations are in reasonable condition, we are only concerned with the pace.”
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