Lewis Hamilton F1 news: Mercedes star gets HEATED in team seat complaint

Lewis Hamilton, fire, socials, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Hamilton gets HEATED in Mercedes seat complaint

Lewis Hamilton has been struggling in the hot seat

Jay Winter

Saturday 14 September 2024 19:42

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Lewis Hamilton was once again left frustrated by the heat of his seat during FP1 at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, continuing an issue that has plagued the seven-time world champion since the Italian Grand Prix.

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The 39-year-old complained over team radio, stating simply, “The seat is very hot,” as the session unfolded in Baku, raising concerns that the problem identified in Monza may not be fully resolved.

The heat issue first emerged during the Italian Grand Prix, where Hamilton frequently reported discomfort over the team radio, as did team-mate George Russell.

Mercedes later confirmed that the high cockpit temperatures were due to a combination of factors, including the heat generated by various electronic systems and the friction caused by the car’s plank hitting the road on Monza’s high-speed straights.

Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes W15 in Baku

Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes problem

In the aftermath of Monza, Mercedes’ trackside engineering director, Andrew Shovlin, explained the root cause of the issue.

“You’ve got a lot of electronic boxes, and they are working quite hard and they generate their own temperature," he said.

"So you’re trying to lose that out of the cockpit."

"You’ve also got a lot of straights at Monza and there are a few places where the plank is hitting the road, and that in itself will generate temperature through friction and that will conduct up through the floor of the car."

Hamilton and Shovlin in the Mercedes garage

Shovlin detailed how these heat sources combined with ambient conditions to create a difficult situation for Hamilton.

"The cockpit gets above the driver’s body temperature, then it’s hard for them to cool down and the heat builds."

Despite these efforts, Hamilton’s complaints during FP1 in Baku suggest that the issue may still be lingering.

With temperatures running high on the streets of Azerbaijan, managing cockpit heat will be crucial as Mercedes look to ensure their star driver can perform comfortably at Baku.

Lewis Hamilton will be looking to close the gap to Carlos Sainz in the drivers' championship

As F1 continues its intense schedule, managing cockpit conditions is becoming an increasingly critical factor, especially for drivers like Hamilton, whose comfort is essential for extracting the maximum performance.

The team will undoubtedly be keen to fully resolve the seat temperature issue before it impacts their competitiveness in Baku and beyond.

For Hamilton, dealing with the heat will be another challenge as he looks to build on his performances in recent races.

With Mercedes chasing improvements and aiming to close the gap to Ferrari, overcoming such technical setbacks could play a key role in their fight for podiums in the remainder of the season.