Mercedes chief reveals Hamilton's big F1 threat
Mercedes chief reveals Hamilton's big F1 threat
Mercedes' head of race strategy Rosie Wait has revealed that Lewis Hamilton's car faced two critical instances of potential failure during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, due to structure and brake issues.
Hamilton experienced a challenging Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend, missing out on Q3 and qualifying in 11th. Ultimately, the seven-time world champion secured ninth place in the race, marking his lowest position this season, excluding his DNF and disqualification incidents.
However, even Hamilton’s two-point finish hung in the balance as Mercedes chief, Wait, revealed looming threats that raised concerns about his ability to complete the race.
The initial setback stemmed from his earlier contact with Pierre Gasly, resulting in damage to his front wing. Despite the damage, the decision was made to keep Hamilton out, considering the potential cost in constructors' championship points.
"These things often look worse on television than they are in reality and in the data," Wait said on the Mercedes website.
"Undoubtedly, it will have affected the balance and the performance of Lewis' car slightly.
"But it was never a consideration for us to pay the cost of a pit stop of fitting a new front wing versus just continuing with it.
“Actually, the biggest concern for us was structural, so, if it had degraded and started to become a structural concern then that might have been a safety issue and that might have forced us to change it.
“We were monitoring it very closely during the race but thankfully that never became an issue and he could just complete the race with the wing as it was."
According to Wait, the primary concern arose from brake reliability in the closing stages of the race, adding a nail-biting suspense to whether Hamilton could continue in the grand prix until the end.
"The other thing to be aware of is that Lewis was managing brake issues throughout the race,” Wait continued.
“Which was a real reliability concern. So, our number one priority was making sure that we got that car to the finish and didn't have to retire it.
“That will have affected his performance to varying degrees throughout the race and is something that we are certainly working on to improve for next year's car."
READ MORE: FIA president denies sexism claims and defends historic remarks after 'inhuman' attack
Hamilton's reaction
While Mercedes successfully secured second place in the constructors' championship, edging out Ferrari by a mere three points, Hamilton remained unhappy with his performances throughout the race and the entirety of the 2023 season.
"Not particularly," Hamilton said in response to being asked if he was satisfied with Mercedes getting second in the constructors’ championship.
“It's not been a great year in general. The fact I survived it. Probably that's about it."
Hamilton also looked into the future but expressed pessimism about Mercedes' ability to compete with the dominant Red Bull in the 2024 season.
"At this moment, I don't really know,” added Hamilton. “For Red Bull to win by 17 seconds and they haven't developed their car since August is definitely a concern.
"We have learned a lot about the car and it's just down to the team now. They know what they need to do. Whether or not we will get there, we will see."
READ MORE: Norris makes HUGE claim over McLaren 2023 F1 season
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Schumacher names shock F1 star to replace Hulkenberg at Haas
- 11 minutes ago
Hamilton in Arsenal title wish after STUNNING revelation
- 1 hour ago
F1 boss 'in early talks' to SELL 25 percent of team
- 2 hours ago
Will F1 hopeful Antonelli replace Sargeant from Imola?
- 3 hours ago
F1 News Today: Hamilton dealt major Newey blow as Red Bull chief makes BRUTAL admission
- Today 12:04
Schumacher reveals how Mercedes could snare Verstappen
- Today 11:42
Related news
Cullen relationship blossoms with new star after moving on from Hamilton
Incredible statistic puts Verstappen AHEAD of Hamilton record
Fierce rival calls Hamilton F1's GOAT in surprise admission
Hamilton sends strong message over Gaza deaths
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860