Lewis Hamilton drove F1 season-opening race in MIDAIR following incident

Mercedes, Hamilton, socials — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Hamilton drove Bahrain GP in MIDAIR following incident

Lewis Hamilton was hanging half in the air after his seat broke in the Bahrain Grand Prix

Shay Rogers

Wednesday 6 March 2024 19:57 Updated: 11:43

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Lewis Hamilton was left to deal with a broken seat as well as a wounded Mercedes car during the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Losing as much as half a second per lap due to a substandard cooling configuration, Mercedes were much slower in race trim than anticipated.

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But that wasn’t the only problem the seven-time champion had to deal with as he kicked off his swansong season with the Silver Arrows in the Sakhir desert.

There are just 23 races remaining before Hamilton makes a headline move to Ferrari for two years – partnering Charles Leclerc in red.

Lewis Hamilton finished seventh at the Bahrain Grand Prix

Naomi Schiff is a Sky Sports F1 presenter for 2024

Hamilton flies through the race

According to Sky Sports’ Naomi Schiff, Hamilton drove through the race in Bahrain while hanging in mid-air after his seat broke.

“What I did hear though was that one side of it was completely missing,” she said. “So, it broke and it kind of dropped, it sank.

“But his body was still on one side of the seat. His left butt cheek was in the air. He said it himself.”

Lewis Hamilton is in his 18th Formula 1 season in 2024

Mercedes will need to find a fix for their seat issues before this week’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as they look to bounce back from a poor result.

High-speed circuits like the Corniche Circuit don’t typically suit them, but if they can get their cooling package right, they should be better off than they were in Bahrain.