F1
Extensive Floor Damage Thwarts Hamilton’s Podium Hopes at Austrian Grand Prix, Reveals Toto Wolff
Toto Wolff discloses that significant floor damage impacted Lewis Hamilton’s performance, leading to his tough race and fourth-place finish in Austria.
SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA – Toto Wolff disclosed that Lewis Hamilton experienced significant floor damage while securing fourth place at the F1 Austrian Grand Prix.
After a crash involving Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, George Russell took advantage of the situation to secure a surprising victory. Meanwhile, his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton had a disappointing race at the Red Bull Ring.
The seven-time world champion received a five-second penalty early in the race for crossing the white line while entering the pit lane during his initial stop. This penalty contributed to him losing the third-place podium finish to Ferrari's Carlos Sainz.
In an interview with media outlets such as Crash.net in Austria, Wolff detailed that Hamilton's performance in the race was negatively impacted by damage to the car's floor. The Mercedes team leader noted that this issue slowed Hamilton down by approximately 0.25 seconds per lap.
"Yes, he was having an off day," Wolff admitted. "He had a fairly good start, but losing the position at Turn 1 on the first lap was tough."
"However, it was evident that we wouldn't incur a 10-second penalty by opting not to do it."
"After that, things began to go downhill. He applied a lot of pressure at the entrance, which is clear from how hard he pushed, lost control of the rear, and inevitably, the next penalty followed."
"Furthermore, the floor was damaged due to the kerb ride. While this is a common issue for many, his damage was particularly severe."
“There were 0.25 seconds lost due to fragments breaking off on the curb. Therefore, there’s no need to be frustrated or annoyed about it.”
Hamilton characterized his performance in the race as "quite surprising" but expressed happiness that Mercedes managed to secure a win after not having any victories in the 2023 season.
“It’s quite surprising,” Hamilton mentioned to Sky Sports F1. “However, I’m genuinely pleased for the team.”
"The entire factory team has put in a tremendous effort to achieve this outcome. Congratulations to the team and to George, it is well earned."
When questioned about why his performance had been surprising, Hamilton responded, “I’ve just been quite poor throughout the entire weekend. It’s not due to a lack of effort, but overall, I’ve been slow. It’s simply not acceptable.”
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