PROBE FOR LEW TEAM
Heat on Mercedes
MERCEDES have begun a probe into the computer glitch which cost Lewis Hamilton victory in the Australian GP on Sunday.
Hamilton was charging to the chequered flag in the first race of the season when he was forced to pit after 20 laps for fresh tyres, promoting Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel into an 11.5 second lead.
The computer prediction had totally miscalculated how much time Mercedes had in hand to retake the lead when Vettel then pitted on lap 26 after the safety car was deployed.
And with Hamilton trundling round under the speed restriction, the German came out again still 1.5secs ahead and he held on to win.
Hamilton complained that he could have built a far healthier lead had he been warned.
Team boss Toto Wolff said: “It was clearly a problem on our side and we need to analyse that to correct it.
“Lewis was in control through the opening stint of the race and then after his pit stop he looked on course for a strong victory.
“It is a tough one to take but there are lots of lessons to be learned so we can come back stronger.”
The inquest began yesterday at Mercedes’ Oxfordshire base in Brackley and Hamilton will be kept informed about developments.
Hamilton and Vettel are both chasing a fifth world drivers’ title to put them level with Juan Manuel Fangio and two behind stricken Michael Schumacher.
They race again in Bahrain a week on Sunday and Hamilton said: “We have got a great car and we are still the world champions, so, with a couple of adjustments, I believe we can win the next race.
“You do not get a good understanding until after four races, but Ferrari are quick.”
Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas finished eighth in Melbourne after starting a lowly 15th on the grid following a crash in qualifying.
Hamilton warned the Finn preseason he would be expected to play a big part in helping defend the title but his low grid position left the Brit exposed to Ferrari pair Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen.
Hamilton added: “It is not easy to fight against a team which has two cars in the mix rather than one.
“Last year it was important to have both of our cars up there and this year it is going to be even more important than ever before.”