Clutch problem behind Hamilton practice difficulties - Wolff

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has confirmed a clutch problem was the cause of Lewis Hamilton's troubled second practice session in Abu Dhabi.

Hamilton set the second-fastest time of the final Friday practice session of the year, trailing only team-mate Valtteri Bottas, but the champion's evening was interrupted by several reliability issues.

Mercedes pitted Hamilton twice for steering wheel changes, once early on and again with two minutes remaining. Hamilton was also forced to stop in front of the Haas garage at one stage as he was unable to engage first gear.

As his crew came to rescue him, Hamilton removed the steering wheel, placed it back on, and once the system had reset he was able to get going again.

"We had a clutch issue and then the car wouldn't restart," said Wolff. "He reset it and was able to start [again]."

Re-starting an F1 car is not an easy job, as some do not even carry an onboard starter and require outside assistance if they do stop.

Asked if Mercedes had recently developed the ability for a driver to restart the car, Wolff said: "It is something that we have been looking at for a while. Many other manufacturers can do that."

Hamilton missed the Sakhir GP last weekend after testing positive for Covid-19. It was confirmed only on Thursday evening e would return to action in Abu Dhabi.

Questioned as to the condition of Hamilton after the day's running, Wolff added: "You'll have to speak to him about how he feels. To me, he looks fit. He is in a good place like it never happened but I guess it was a hard week."

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