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DPA
Berlin
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has explained why Lewis Hamilton was forced to replace his engine and take a grid penalty on Sunday, refusing to rule out a repeat before end of the season.
The Briton’s 10-place penalty after topping qualifying contributed to a fifth-place finish at the Turkish Grand Prix, with team-mate Valtteri Bottas winning and title rival Max Verstappen finishing second to move six points clear of Hamilton in the championship standings.
However, Wolff revealed that the team felt they had no choice but to take a new Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) due to issues with Hamilton’s previous power unit.
He insisted there had been no tactical timing to the decision, which was needed for technical reasons.
“We had to do it,” Wolff told Sky Sports on Wednesday. “We saw some data on the Internal Combustion unit that didn’t look very promising and a DNF is a total killer for the championship.
“We’ve seen over the course of the season that we’ve had some little gremlins that we weren’t completely sure where they came from and how much performance they could potentially cost.”
Berlin
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has explained why Lewis Hamilton was forced to replace his engine and take a grid penalty on Sunday, refusing to rule out a repeat before end of the season.
The Briton’s 10-place penalty after topping qualifying contributed to a fifth-place finish at the Turkish Grand Prix, with team-mate Valtteri Bottas winning and title rival Max Verstappen finishing second to move six points clear of Hamilton in the championship standings.
However, Wolff revealed that the team felt they had no choice but to take a new Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) due to issues with Hamilton’s previous power unit.
He insisted there had been no tactical timing to the decision, which was needed for technical reasons.
“We had to do it,” Wolff told Sky Sports on Wednesday. “We saw some data on the Internal Combustion unit that didn’t look very promising and a DNF is a total killer for the championship.
“We’ve seen over the course of the season that we’ve had some little gremlins that we weren’t completely sure where they came from and how much performance they could potentially cost.”
