Mercedes finally understood what was the issue with Lewis Hamilton’s power unit, confirming that it is impossible to recover.
The British driver retired in the first part of the Australian GP due to engine issues. Mercedes confirmed that the team was still analyzing what caused the engine to shut off, and it wasn’t sure whether it would be possible to recover it.
Then, the Brackley-based outfit confirmed that the problem was caused by a “bottom-end failure” due to a “quality process rather than any specific design problem,” as Motorsport.com reported.
That seemed to be a concern related to that specific engine only, averting the possibility of that issue repeating in future races. However, the engine being impossible to repair, further complicates Hamilton’s season.
Despite that, the seven-time world champion remains positive.
“I think it’s all about perspective,” he said. “I think for us, of course, we’ve not started the season where we wanted to be, but we’ve got a long way to go.
“You’ve seen in the past, last year, for example, just how things can switch in certain teams – looking like Aston, [and] McLaren last year, who started on the back foot. Anything can happen in the sport.
“I think we’ve just got to learn as much as we can, take as much as we can from the data, remain positive, continue to work hard. And I would say it’s not how you fall, it’s how you get up.
“We’re just going to continue to chase and fight, and hopefully we can be fighting at the front at some stage.”