Mercedes Unveil Strategic Pit Lane Start for Hamilton in Baku Amid Anticipation of Major F1 Upgrades

Mercedes hints at a major improvement while clarifying why Lewis Hamilton started from the pit lane in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Mercedes elaborates on the main factors that led to Lewis Hamilton's pit lane start during the Azerbaijan race.

Mercedes has clarified why Lewis Hamilton started from the pit lane during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, hinting at a major Formula 1 upgrade.

Although Hamilton secured the seventh position in the Baku qualifiers, Mercedes chose to have him begin the race from the pit lane.

Mercedes has opted to add a new power unit to Hamilton's collection of components for the remainder of the season.

Nevertheless, because of an engine malfunction in Australia, Mercedes realized that this choice was unavoidable.

Recognizing the challenge of overtaking in Singapore and the upcoming sprint weekends, Mercedes chose to compromise Hamilton's weekend, even though he had secured a decent starting position of P7.

According to Andrew Shovlin, the lead engineer at the track, Mercedes is gearing up for a major upgrade in the next few races.

Discussing the choice to have Hamilton begin the race from the pit lane in Baku, Shovlin explained on Mercedes' YouTube channel: "The issue with Lewis actually originated in Melbourne when we experienced a malfunction with a relatively new power unit."

"We had known for quite a while that we needed to add another power unit to our roster to ensure we could finish the season without the danger of one malfunctioning during a race. That’s something we absolutely wanted to avoid."

"The dilemma was deciding the location. Normally, starting from the pit lane when positioned seventh on the grid isn't ideal since it offers a good chance to earn points. However, one consideration for us is that our performance has declined lately. Soon, we have a promising update package on the way."

"We aim to improve our position with this move. Our goal was to endure the disadvantage of starting from the pit lane early on, so that when we have a car capable of competing for podium finishes on its own merits, we won't be held back."

"The main idea was addressed, and now we're focused on the rest of the season. For Lewis, this means he can expect to have reliable and powerful Mercedes engines for the upcoming races."

In the latest races, Mercedes has fallen behind as Ferrari has made a strong comeback.

George Russell moved up to third place in Azerbaijan after an incident occurred between Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz.

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