Mercedes faces an endless nightmare, as both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton are forced to retire from the race. The team’s disappointing race in the Australian GP hits a new low, as Russell is unable to complete the race due to an incident on the 57th lap. Hamilton also suffers an early retirement after experiencing an engine failure on the 17th lap.
In the final moments of the race, Russell has a major high-speed crash. He was fighting for sixth position when the disaster occurred, causing his car to go airborne and severely damage the chassis.
Mercedes had a weekend full of disappointments in Australia, failing to score any points in the race. Even the qualifying session did not bring significant results for the team. Hamilton’s early retirement due to an engine failure only added to their troubles.
Russell’s crash on the final lap resulted in the deployment of a virtual safety car. Other drivers on the track had to navigate through the debris and the destroyed car. Fortunately, Russell did not suffer serious injuries in the crash.
Despite the crash, Russell quickly reassured his race engineer that he was unharmed. Fernando Alonso took advantage of the situation and easily passed Russell, finishing in sixth place. The crash also prevented a battle on the final lap between the two Ferrari drivers, allowing Carlos Sainz to win the 2024 Australian GP.
Mercedes will need to analyze what went wrong in the Australian GP and address the issues. The team leaves Australia with no points and with damaged cars for both drivers. They must first repair the chassis and may face penalties for the issues with Hamilton’s power unit.
