2024 Australian Grand Prix, Friday – Sam Bloxham
In his final season with the Silver Arrows before moving to Ferrari next year, Hamilton retired from the Australian Grand Prix due to a sudden power unit failure, which was later determined to be irreparable. The Mercedes driver has achieved victory in Japan on five occasions.
During a press conference at the Suzuka circuit on Friday, Mercedes F1 team boss Toto Wolff expressed his disappointment, stating: “That’s one for the bin. It’s an extremely rare hardware failure that we did not anticipate.”
Wolff also mentioned the possibility of needing another power unit, depending on how the season unfolds. He stated: “Whether we will need an additional unit or not remains uncertain at this stage.”
The other Mercedes driver, George Russell, was involved in a crash in Melbourne, resulting in both Mercedes drivers failing to finish a race for the first time in five years.
Hamilton, who finished third in the F1 drivers’ standings in 2023 behind Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, is currently struggling in 10th position this season. During the first practice session in Suzuka, he finished fifth, approximately half a second behind Verstappen.
While it is not uncommon for drivers to face penalties for exceeding engine quotas, losing a power unit so early in the 24-race F1 calendar raises concerns about Mercedes’ reliability issues in recent seasons.
After the rain-affected FP2 session in Suzuka, Hamilton remained optimistic, stating: “FP1 was a fantastic session for us. It was the best session we’ve had this year, and the car was great. I was feeling positive and excited for FP2, as this circuit is loved by all drivers.”
Hamilton acknowledged the challenges they have faced in the past at Suzuka, but noted the improvements made by the team since Australia. He said: “The car was definitely performing better. We have a stronger starting point this weekend and hopefully we can build on that.”
While Hamilton’s final year with Mercedes proves to be the worst, his move to Ferrari in 2025 seems to be well timed. The team has shown promising performance with Carlos Sainz winning in Australia and being closer to the Red Bulls compared to the previous season. They are also ahead of Mercedes in the current F1 hierarchy, which is promising for Hamilton’s transition to Ferrari.
© 2024
