The race in Melbourne ended with a double retirement for Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton retired after an engine failure and George Russell crashed on the last lap at the hands of Fernando Alonso.
Toto Wolff, Team boss: “Failed race at the end of a difficult weekend. After making the bold decision to start on soft tyres, Lewis initially made good progress. Unfortunately, the race ended quickly for him due to a breakdown. We’ll send the power plant to the base and find out what’s causing it.
It was clear to George that Alonso had braked earlier than in the previous laps. No one is positive about the situation we are in now, but we are focused on making a difference by remaining calm and collected. Using the example of other teams, we see that if everything is done right, the situation can quickly change. This is exactly what we strive for.”
George Russell (17th): “Luckily I’m doing well after the accident. I don’t know how to explain what happened. I was five tenths behind Fernando 100 meters before the corner, but then the distance shortened significantly and I bumped into his car. It was clear that he braked earlier than in previous laps and then accelerated again. I didn’t expect this and it surprised me. I hit the wall and the next few seconds passed dramatically.
It was a disappointing end to a difficult race. The pace was not as expected. We showed good lap times, but we have to work to catch up with the leaders. We will try to improve the situation in the remaining two weeks before the Japanese Grand Prix.”
Lewis Hamilton (departure): “The race went well until the power plant failed. In Melbourne it’s hard to overtake, but I gained a few places after starting on Soft. It’s a shame I had to leave. I pressed the accelerator, but the engine just stalled. It happens.
We will improve the car as the season progresses. We have done that in recent years and I am sure we will do it again. It is difficult that we are not as competitive as we would like to be, but we will continue to work hard. I think in the short term it will be difficult for us to fight for higher places, but we will see what happens in the medium term.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
