The European Grand Prix 2016 is over, and a lot of people are disappointed. Thousands of fans were watching the race hoping that the British pilot, Lewis Hamilton, would win the race securing the top spot on the table, but it was not his day. The British pilot had a problem with the engine which gave his opponents a huge advantage leaving him out of the podium.
After a messy qualification race, Lewis Hamilton started in the 5th position of the grid in Baku. However, the multiple times World Champion showed his prowess and started gaining territory. He placed himself 4th after Kimmi Raikkonen went to an early stop leaving Force India’s Sergio Perez as the obstacle to overcome. Time and time over, the British pilot unsuccessfully tried to pass Perez, but he was dealing with a tire vibration problem caused by accident the day of the qualifying.
In a strategic move, Mercedes called Hamilton to the pits, but Force India copied the move next lap. The prolonged battle turn for the Mexican pilot as Hamilton started to speed down. The communications team got in touch with the pilot and told him there was a problem with the engine setting, but the British pilot had to figure it out himself. The regulations say that the technician team can tell the pilot where the problem is, but they cannot tell him how to fix it.
“The FIA have made Formula 1 so technical. There were probably 100 different switch positions it could have been, at least 100, 200. There was no way for me to know, no matter how much I study that,” said a frustrated Lewis Hamilton after the race.
Mercedes’ crew takes all the heat
There was an issue with the power supply of the engine, and the pilot had to struggle 12 laps with it. He said he did nothing and that the problem fixed on its own, but it was already too late, and he finished 5th in the Grand Prix. His teammate Nico Rosberg won the competition earning 25 points which give him the lead over Hamilton with a comfortable 24-point lead. Sebastian Vettel finished second earning 18 points and a chance to catch up with the British pilot.
Mercedes stated that both cars, Rosberg’s and Hamilton’s, presented a problem with the engine settings in different moments. However, the winner of the race had changed something at the beginning of the race, so when the team told him that the problem was related to the mode, he quickly reverted the changes solving the issue. On the other hand, Hamilton changed nothing, but apparently, the technicians did. Consequently, the team stated that it wasn’t the pilot’s fault, and took full responsibility for what happened in Baku.
The house behind Hamilton and Rosberg also said that the radio regulations played a significant role in what happened because according to them, they could have told the pilot what to do, and the situation would have been solved in seconds.
Source: Sky Sports