Mercedes ‘gutted to have let Lewis down’ – Lowe

2014 Hungarian Grand Prix

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Paddy Lowe says that his Mercedes team are ‘gutted’ after Lewis Hamilton was struck by a mechanical failure in qualifying for the second consecutive weekend.

The team has confirmed that a fuel leak was responsible for the fire that left Hamilton’s Mercedes aflame at the beginning of Q1 and has virtually ended Hamilton’s hopes of a third successive Hungarian Grand Prix victory.

“I am absolutely gutted that we have let Lewis down again and given him such a tough job on another Sunday afternoon – so soon after his fantastic drive in Germany,” said Lowe.

“We are still stripping the car to understand the cause of the fuel leak but the symptom was a loss of high pressure fuel to the direct injection system of the internal combustion engine. This fuel leak then caused a major conflagration which is likely to have written off most of the car.”

While Hamilton was left facing another back row start through no fault of his own, Nico Rosberg secured his third consecutive pole position for the team to give himself a great chance of increasing his championship advantage tomorrow.

“Nico was under a lot of pressure from the changing conditions and some very competitive laps from Red Bull and Williams,” Lowe added. “But he delivered a fantastic lap time in the end to take another pole position, so well done to him.”

“Overall, however, a huge apology to Lewis and his fans for our failure today.”

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Will Wood
Will has been a RaceFans contributor since 2012 during which time he has covered F1 test sessions, launch events and interviewed drivers. He mainly...

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110 comments on “Mercedes ‘gutted to have let Lewis down’ – Lowe”

  1. And Hamilton is still talking rubbish? Unbelievable!

    1. So, just how big is that axe you’re grinding?

    2. No, he’s talking fair, I think. He’s had a pretty bad run these few races in terms of luck.

    3. Ken (@myxomatosis)
      26th July 2014, 17:12

      My friend, what are you talking about?

      1. I’m not a native English speaker, so correct me if I’m wrong. But it seems to me that Lewis is subtly blaming the team.

        “Beyond bad luck” is deliberately ambiguous, not like “extreme bad luck”, more like “something other than bad luck”, which may hint at carelessness, sabotage or whatever.

        So you can’t quite say that Lewis is actually blaming the team but…

        1. Or that they need to do better, which is more than obvious, even to a non English speaker such as yourself, for example.

        2. Please allow me to correct you as a native English speaker. Lewis was (most likely) using a rhetorical device called “hyperbole”, which is the use of exaggeration to create a strong impression.

          We had massive thunderstorms in London recently and I said the weather was beyond terrible. However, I didn’t mean that there was some supernatural reason for it, or someone to blame. It was just weather that was much worse than usual, even for London.

          1. That was exactly my reading of it as well.

          2. Exactly.

          3. Exactly. “Beyond bad luck” doesn’t mean “others are out to get me”, it just emphasized that his luck is monumentally bad. Like saying: “There’s good luck, bad luck, and then my luck – which is off the bad end of the scale.”

        3. Michael (@freelittlebirds)
          26th July 2014, 19:20

          @hyoko I think it’s time that Lewis starts looking for answers. This is just completely getting out of hand. He almost lost the WDC in 2008… Lost it in 2007, 2010, 2012 and now he’s fighting a completely uneven battle. Make no mistake, even if the car were the same, driving from the end of the grid is not the same as driving from the front. And driving with a potential deficit of 39 points in a WDC race is like driving with a car that’s 1 second slower…

          Just ask Rosberg who was ahead in points and Lewis was winning every race – he probably had 7 EKGS done over 3 weeks…

          Eventually no one will care about the WDC if things continue this way…

        4. @Hyoko Nope. He pretty much used that phrase to express extreme bad luck. We say that something is “beyond impossible” when it absolutely can’t be done, or that someone is “beyond stupid” when he’s exceptionally foolish, or that something is “beyond nasty” when it’s really gross, etc.

        5. Hamilton is entitled to consider any explanation. Why are brakes suddenly an issue, for example? All season long he has been harder on the brakes than Rosberg (Rosberg uses more fuel so probably uses the engine more in slowing the car). Why are there brake issues now rather than earlier in the season when he was just as hard on them? Why are his pit stops usually slower than Rosberg’s? The only time Rosberg had the bad luck was at Hamilton’s home race which would also have been good PR for the team. If you believe in conspiracy theories there is plenty of material there. I am not saying that the team has conspired against Hamilton but, when they’ve let him down so badly, he can’t be blamed for thinking anything. And being told to let Rosberg past would only add to his suspicions.

    4. The Blade Runner (@)
      26th July 2014, 20:42

      I’m currently in Budapest and have just walked past an Italian restaurant around the corner from the Four Seasons Hotel where Niki Lauda and Lewis were deep in conversation. Lewis looked very serious.

      I have photos but not sure how I load them on here

      1. The Blade Runner (@)
        26th July 2014, 20:48

        As an aside, I shrugged off Lewis’ woes today but having just seen him he looks like a lost child. Feel so sorry for him

    5. As far as I can tell there aren’t any comments in this article attributed to Hamilton.

    6. “Beyond bad” is a common phrase. He’s not blaming the team or anyone. He’s voicing frustration that this seems to be even worse luck than can be believed.

  2. Bob De La Cruz
    26th July 2014, 16:28

    What in Gods name is going on? Mr Lowe I would be a little more than gutted if I was you, it’s an absolute travesty that this has happened in the last two quali’s, Lewis bailed you out last time…….

    1. Don’t forget many people predicted 2014 would be a big year for reliability issues (including Christian Horner’s prediction of 50% in Australia), due to the introductions of both the engines and recovery units. When the v8’s came in 2006, there were a lot of failures, and this season is far more complex in terms of newly introduced rules and technologies (v6, split turbo, energy recovery, BBW, fuel flow restriction, exhaust changes, etc.). So i’d say overall, it’s been not too bad. It’s a shame it’s happened more to Lewis than Nico, though. Now the double points rule might just help make up for extra failures…

    2. Hi guys, my sentiments exactly. My take on this is that Lewis has to truly fight for his place, where Nico does not have too, it seems that Mercedes is looking for German to win the 2014 F1 Championship. The mere fact that they asked Lewis to allow Nico to past says it all. Another theory: have you guys noticed the pathetic, tyre changers that Lewis has as to Nico, something to think about.

  3. As someone who’d prefer Nico to win the championship, these failures are really robbing the fans of better battles for the lead and even a better championship battle. Sure Lewis charging up the field in Germany was fun to watch but I’d much prefer more Bahrain-esque racing from the two Mercs and Rosberg winning the title through beating Hamilton on track rather than it being threw mechanical failures. However those constantly attacking Mercedes and Rosberg based on Hamilton’s failures really need to read what they type before the send it. Every driver has rotten luck, I don’t see people shouting conspiracy when it’s Maldonado or Vergne getting all the failures.

    1. I’m a Lewis fan but I cant help think that Nico is getting fed up as well. He’ll be extatic if he wins the championship but you know everyone else will be talking about how he was “gifted it”. I think both drivers would prefer an actual title fight rather the situation we they are in at the moment.
      I’d like to see more racing between the two drivers. as well.

      1. Nico doesn’t care about Hamilton’s failures nor how the media/fans will perceive his championship win. In general, drivers cares only about winning the championship. He doesn’t care how he wins it: easy, gifted, or hard. History remembers winners first.

        1. Is Nico that cold?

          1. @jcost I wouldn’t blame him if he were that cold, given all the snide comments coming from Hamilton recently re: Nico’s privileged upbringing vs. the horrors of the ghettos of Stevenage…

            Having said that, I don’t think he comes across as cold in the slightest, but in the press conference he looked absolutely delighted – backing up what soulmonkey said. He’s taking the opportunity in exactly the same way as any other driver would, and good on him!

        2. +1 This is true. If Rosberg becomes champion, how it was won will fade from memory rapidly. Besides it’s not as though he’s doing anything wrong (Monaco aside, ahem) or driving badly. Only that, all things equal, Hamilton would win 8 or 9 out of ten races. It was what was happening before Monaco and the ‘gremlins’ set in. It could also still happen, but it seems there are some serious issues to do with the car’s reliability, brake system etc. that disfavour how Hamilton drives in particular.

          1. I agree with what you’re saying @David BR2, but, and the stewards backed this up with their ruling (including the Brit Derek Warwick) that Nico did nothing wrong, just a simple, honest error.

        3. OmarR-Pepper (@)
          26th July 2014, 17:36

          you know everyone else will be talking about how he was “gifted it”.

          He doesn’t care how he wins it: easy, gifted, or hard. History remembers winners first.

          Hamilton won his championship because he was good to grab the chances Ferrari and Massa missed (pit mess in Singapore and others) and he will always be remembered as the 2008 champion, so if Rosberg grabs his chances, he will be remembered as the 2014 champion… and some people will point out these Hamilton’s bad luck, but I think that this situation compares to Massa’s bad luck and Raikkonen’s bad luck in 2005 as well.

          1. @omarr-pepper Abso-bleedin’-lutely.

          2. In 2008 Lewis was penalised by the steward at almost every race, was it Valencia Massa wiped out the Torro Rosso driver and still the french driver got the penalty. But this time around someone is getting punk’d

          3. Fritz Oosthuizen (@)
            26th July 2014, 21:28

            Fantastic said 100% right.

    2. Maybe it’s me, but I see more people blaming Lewis for his mechanical issues than people attacking Rosberg or Mercedes…

    3. However those constantly attacking Mercedes and Rosberg based on Hamilton’s failures really need to read what they type before the send it.

      Why, cause they have a different opinion to you? People would have said the same about the Piquet crash that gifted Alonso a win.

      Mercedes should be held accountable because it is unacceptable, either it is sabotage or plain incompetence, either way it needs to be looked into.

      1. @f1-neil
        There’s a difference between pointing out you think Hamiltons failures need to be looked into and outright insulting the likes of Rosberg, Wolff and Lauda. Especially considering some comments I’ve seen on Facebook/Twitter which are borderline racism. Granted my comment was directed more at those people rather than members on this website where people are a little more sensible.

        1. There is something up, something rotten what ever it is. Much like McLaren 2012, when there was a broken rollbar for 2 races in a row. These situations are not only bad for the championship but potentially life threatening. All along Toto has twisted strategy so that it is equal, eg: he said it would be unfair for lewis to 1 stop in Silverstone, how the hell is the current situation anymore unfair then that. I’m not sure I have any trust left for Toto or Mercedes.

          1. A one-stop strategy for Hamilton in Britain would probably have meant that he may have come under pressure from the likes of Bottas later in the race, because the tyres really weren’t suitable for a one-stopper on that car, and not to mention that after Nico retired, Hamilton just had to race super conservatively, and he’d be guaranteed a win

      2. Lady Luck is a fickle mistress. We’ve seen a lot of other drivers have as much bad luck, or more bad luck, than Hamilton is having this season, and it’s not normally blamed on incompetence or sabotage.

        Last year Nico had the worse luck of the two Mercedes drivers. So far this season it’s been Lewis suffering the greater misfortune. But it’s perfectly possible that tomorrow Nico’s car will retire while Hamilton comes through the field again to finish third.

    4. Michael (@freelittlebirds)
      26th July 2014, 19:23

      The way things are heading Nico will become a WDC without ever being able to overtake Lewis… In fact, every time the 2 have squared off, Lewis wiped the floor with Nico and that is putting it mildly in terms of racing.

      1. Lewis never could pass Nico either, though. On some other page (on F1 Fanatic, but i can’t remember which page) someone posted in the comments what would have happened if neither driver had a mechanical retirement, and Nico still ends up on top.

        1. Michael (@freelittlebirds)
          26th July 2014, 23:44

          @zjakobs yeah right…

    5. I do like a Bahrain type of fight better, however I also enjoy watching Hamilton run into troubles, because of my acquired dislike for him. It’s kind of a “show” for me.

      But his inconsistency coupled together with the technical problems is affecting my predictions, I had him for the pole and the win this race. In many ways he is like Mark Webber, only faster when the day comes.

      1. You should not accept these kind of abusive comments on here.

        1. What abusive comments?

  4. I am going to be praying for a safety car at an opportune moment for Hamilton tomorrow.

    I am not a HAM-fan but the dude deserves some good luck!!

    1. @sumedh, Charlie Whiting would rather have the camera helicopter air lift the stricken car/debris rather than benefit Hamilton :) I’m only kidding of course.

      1. No it’s not a joke.

        Just watch last weekend’s race.

      2. Oh my :)

  5. Mercedes really is under pressure. Three mechanical failures in 3 consecutive weekends is too much, too bad Lewis collected 2 of the 3, that add to Australia.

    Lewis has speed and seems to be adapted to this new era of F1, he’s lacking luck.

    1. I never felt that it is always up to the luck. I mean, yeah failures are a part of the game but I just can’t believe that all of them were down to the bad luck. Lewis is more aggressive in his driving and I am pretty sure that it has contributed in some way to some of this “bad luck”. Probably in yesterday’s case it was a real mechanical failure but on previous occasions I wouldn’t be so sure.
      I may be wrong of course but the cars are build from mechanical parts and if you push them too hard they will eventually brake.

      1. Are you saying the parts will more likely to fail if the driver applies the brakes harder or turn the steering wheel more aggressively? The parts are made to work under extreme pressure and workload that’s why they can only last for a short period of time. As a Lewis’s fan, I can only attribute those to extreme bad luck and can only hope it will even out for the rest of the season. Who knows Rosberg might have a DNF in double points Abu Dhabi and the title falls right back into Lewis’s lap.

  6. Two serious incidents with Hamilton’s car now. Brake failure on a high speed corner, heavy fuel leak and fire. Aside from the task of having to race for the championship from the back of the grid, that’s a big ask of his trust in the car’s safety.

  7. Fuel Leak

  8. i can see Lewis ditching Mercedes as he did Mclaren same scenario good car bad reliability / luck but where next ?

    1. Michael (@freelittlebirds)
      26th July 2014, 19:31

      Please don’t remind us of 2012 or any other year. Even 2011 was dreadful when McLaren was literally spending half its strategy resources on how to put Lewis behind Massa or how to lose a race without being passed by anyone…

      1. @freelittlebirds
        Agreed. McLaren are incompetent. Mercedes was the right choice for HAM, he’s just had terrible luck this year.

        Good luck is vital for a WDC. After all, Mansell lost out on the 1986 WDC because his tyre exploded for no reason.

    2. Why would Lewis ditch Merc ?

      a few failures, this is the first season of new regs, Merc have been amazing with their car, as seen by the times and points,
      Lewis is 14 points behind with races to spare, no one is challenging him from behind,

      Im guessing the Merc board look upon the component failures as unacceptable and success is a total domination by both cars across the season,

      Lewis is having some bad luck . so? it cycles , someone else has a turn later,

      I’d rather see them both duke it out but it’s racing,

      Whats going to happen when teams start getting penalties for engines after qualifying well, its going to be all over the shop,

  9. WilliamB (@william-brierty)
    26th July 2014, 18:08

    I think what the more emotive bloggers are forgetting today (and by emotive I don’t mean the plain deluded conspiracy theorists who forget a) that they are saying that Mercedes are paying Lewis in excess of $60m just to sabotage his title hopes and b) that the overwhelming majority of the spanners and brains behind the #44 W05 are British not German) that provided Hamilton keeps his nose clean in the pack, there is no greater probability that Hamilton could retire than Rosberg tomorrow. A Rosberg retirement, which is entirely possible on current evidence, would give Hamilton a chance to close up. However ultimately, whilst it is no certainty that Hamilton’s luck will change, he has the pace to be champion and at this stage, with double points at Abu Dhabi especially, pace matters more than points.

    1. “Lewis Hamilton will not be at Mercedes for long. Everyone in the German team wants a German to be world champion. Lewis was only brought in to make Nico [Rosberg] even better.”…Jacques Villeneuve………..and it was ross who wanted lewis not toto.and they have to pay lewis all that money even if he doesnt win the wdc so it makes no difference to them.redbull still won the wcc and wdc despite all od webbers car troubles.mercedes can do the same.ferrari are paying kimi lots of money,but they seem to be more interested in alonso.

      1. WilliamB (@william-brierty)
        26th July 2014, 18:45

        You are suggesting that Ferrari wouldn’t be pleased to see are more competitive Raikkonen when they are in such a tight battle with Williams in the WCC? I am not prepared to engage with such a deluded statement.

    2. @william-brierty,

      provided Hamilton keeps his nose clean in the pack, there is no greater probability that Hamilton could retire than Rosberg tomorrow.

      well, that’s not entirely accurate. First of all ‘provided he keeps his nose clean’ is not that straightforward. On the first lap, anyone can get damage without it being his fault, but that risk is substantially less for the pole sitter than for a guy starting fast from the back.

      Second, if Rosberg leads after the first corner (very likely if it’s dry), Nico will be able to turn down his engine and look after his brakes pretty much from the first corner (or at least the first lap). That should reduce the probability of a failure, compared to someone running in hot air, and turning his engine up for passing and racing.

      Anyway, the odds of retirement tomorrow are not really what is most relevant here. Instead, the point is Rosberg is expected to score many more points tomorrow. In a race without any incident, we can expect Rosberg to win and Hamilton to reach, say, P6, so he will head into the summer break more than a race win behind.

      Finally, as an emotive blogger, I will inform you that mathematical possibilities offer little consolation. Even if it’s far from over, it certainly starts to feel that way. In 2012 I told myself for the first time I would stop watching; to create some distance, and simply to be able to enjoy motor sports without caring too much about the result. I did not succeed, however, and especially this season the bad weekends leave me depressed.

      1. WilliamB (@william-brierty)
        26th July 2014, 18:56

        @adrianmorse – I feel your pain, honestly. Hamilton has had the pace this year to beat Rosberg, and was arguably robbed by bad luck in 2007, 2010 and 2012, and Hamilton potentially warrants that most unsporting of concepts as being the more deserving of the title. However, take solace in the fact a) that Hamilton is unlikely to be collected in a first lap melee via a pit lane start and b) that Lewis has not only been fantastically fast this race, but in qualy and race trim in both wet and dry conditions at every single race this season (I would argue that only two races where Rosberg was faster in race trim was Spain and Bahrain – and who won those races). If Lewis can have so much pace over a championship effectively twenty races long and is not champion, then you could question whether F1 is properly serving its purpose: that of rewarding design, engineering and driving brilliance with unequaled automotive glory.

        1. And a bit of rain would be most welcome, which is quite likely it seems. Who knows what could happen if the conditions are changeable? What we do know is Hamilton will be wringing the neck of that car to limit the damage (again!) and capitalise where he can.

          1. WilliamB (@william-brierty)
            26th July 2014, 21:15

            @deej92 – Yes, some rain would get the most out of the mechanical grip of the W05 and the awesome wet weather form of Hamilton in 2014 (as illustrated in China and Malaysia), whilst nullifying aerodynamic turbulence. Furthermore, Vettel is the new rain meister whereas Rosberg’s wet weather form has its peaks and toughs, so it is logical to argue that rain might help mix things up at the front. Do you know the chances of rain in terms of percentage?

          2. 60% at the moment. Due to the fact that we haven’t had a proper wet race since Brazil 2012 yet many have promised to be since, I won’t completely hold my breath, but this seems as good a chance as any. The sudden downpour we saw today is something we could easily see tomorrow.

    3. Lewis’s consecutive Q1 mishaps are more than just bad luck, it looks deliberate, although it’s unlikely a conspiracy by the team. It will probably be discovered that one or two rogue crew members have been sabotaging Lewis’s car. This will never be made public even after Mercedes has fired the culprits. If the team is smart a few Nico DNFs to level the playing field would be a nice touch.

      1. WilliamB (@william-brierty)
        26th July 2014, 20:12

        @greenflag – It does not take an Oxbridge education to realize that the even if a correlation appears deliberate or manufactured, it is always premature to cry “Hark! Scandal!” without evidence. These are highly advanced systems, systems that are premature and fragile as much as they innovative and revolutionary, and the distribution of their glitches is mere chance. To suggest otherwise without an official announcement would be simply blind speculation.

        Regarding your theory, do you honestly think that the brilliant engineering minds at Mercedes couldn’t detect sabotage on a car they measure just about every parameter? Would an engineer ruin his entire career in motorsport, jeopardize his lifelong financial security and risk facing criminal prosecution by Mercedes for an unlikely one-off bribe from a German big-wig? How does mechanic sabotage explain Hamilton’s component failures in Melbourne, Hockenheim and now in Budapest? Infiltration at Brembo and Mercedes’ Brixowrth engine plant? Deluded, dear chap…

        1. the real question is, why would Mercedes, even if they were admit to it? Really, do you think they would admit to screwing someone over who is under contract, when lawyers are involved?

          the real question is, how far will people go to convince themselves otherwise. Whether or not Lewis is being deliberately sabotaged is not really the issue, the issue is with Mercedes who are being negligent in their duties to provide Lewis Hamilton with a SAFE and reliable car. Nico has really only had one issue this year. His problem in Canada was partly manufactured by the fact that he chose another engine mode, but had no problems keeping Bottas behind him in Canada, whether or not Bottas was told to stay behind Nico … Anyways, Merc are clearly favoring Bottas and Nico this year, what Lewis is paid is irrelevant, as another poster mentioned it does not matter what Lewis is getting paid, and … Why did Ross Brawn retire? Hmmmm? Wouldn’t it be nice to hear from Ross.

  10. I’m starting to believe that Hamilton’s previous incarnation kicked a puppy and that puppy is now Rosberg.

  11. okay, here is a conspiracy theory that concerns money and patriotism.
    In an ideal world they Mercedes would like to win the constructors title with both their drivers finishing 1st and 2nd in the championship.
    ideally with a German driver winning the championship?
    As long as Lewis is in no realistic threat for 2nd place by any other manufacturer he may well continue to have bad luck especially in qualifying.
    We know the Mercedes car can finish in the top 6 if it starts at the back of the grid so points will still be collected.
    Double points in the final GP means ideally Mercedes would like Rosberg to be untouchable for the championship before this race and Lewis to be untouchable for second in the championship.
    Management of F1 teams consider absolutely everything that enhances the brand and sponsors so information as to which driver winning the championship will have the most lucrative and possibly patriotic significance to the brand and sponsors (both equate to money).
    Now this bit of fiction be may ridiculed but do not be so naïve to think that intelligent cooperate businessmen would not consider it. If I can dream this up rest assured Mercedes can too.

    1. WilliamB (@william-brierty)
      26th July 2014, 20:22

      @k3lvino – Corporate businessmen are too intelligent to sabotage Hamilton’s title campaign because in Hamilton they have a global superstar, and a championship victory for one of the world’s most iconic sportsmen will certainly create more headlines across the globe; headlines that help Mercedes sell more cars.

  12. Mercedes team plan for slower Nico to win:

    Step 1- sack Brawn, who favours Lewis
    Step 2- find a way to stop Lewis run… I give you Monaco.
    Step 3- whenever there is a crucial pit stop, slow Lewis by a second or two
    Step 4- reliability on Lewis’ car

    1. +1
      More than obvious!
      Mercedes are playing very dirty

    2. Apart from step 1, I can agree with this.

    3. I really hope that this (and the subsequent comments) is a complete windup in the most sarcastic tone possible? If not, you are deluded.

  13. No one can complain if Hamilton wins the WDC by double points now.

    1. Michael (@freelittlebirds)
      26th July 2014, 19:26

      That would be the only circumstance that the double points would actually make sense. If Lewis claws his way back with a car that can barely make it around a single lap and Nico wins the WDC in Abu Dhabi, Bernie should do us a favor and commit harakiri…

    2. Well of course, how convenient.

      The despised double-points round would suddenly be quite alright when it’s your preferred driver winning.

      1. I just don’t understand the logic of people who think like that (like @freelittlebirds does), they say “oh this is terrible, that is awful”, yet if it helps their favorite driver win, its great! Like I’m a huge Nico fan, and hate double points, and even if Nico, my favorite driver, wins on double points, I won’t feel like he deserved it.

        1. Michael (@freelittlebirds)
          26th July 2014, 23:13

          Someday when Nico passes Lewis on harder tyres while he’s 25 points behind then Nico will deserve to win the championship – but we don’t live in that universe, we live in the one that Lewis is simply losing to Nico due to unreliability while being clinical during races.

  14. One wonders how many failures Mercedes would have if they were under the slightest pressure from another team. They’ll have to tighten up for next year when surely the others will have closed the gap.

  15. I posted a few days back saying Lewis needs a break in quali. Guess what we Hamilton fans need the break more!

    I wouldn’t at all be surprised if Lewis goes back to McLaren in 2016. A British team led by Ron is the best chance Lewis has.

    1. Don’t forget that Merc has factories in Brackley and Brixworth, both very much British. The mechanics are british as well, so Merc is only really German in name

  16. It’s sabotage or gross incompetence, either way someone needs firing!

    Funny how today there was a red flag for a car that was well away from the circuit whereas last week a car stuck in the middle of the track only needed double yellow flags, very interesting indeed.

    1. This was in Qualifying, where a red flag has a fairly low effect on the session, in a race, a safety car or red flag would completely change it. Keep in mind I’d think like this whether it was Nico or Lewis that would have lost out because of a safety car in Germany

      1. Isn’t the whole issue that Charlie may have been thinking about the EFFECT, rather than the safety of the marshals?

        1. Exactly @lockup, and the SC has come out for much less scary reasons than a car spun just after start of Start/finish straight, even if it wasn’t directly on the racing line.

      2. Are you talking rubbish or what??

        If the rain had have got worse then the cars behind Rosberg that didn’t go off would have all out qualified him!

        1. Ken (@myxomatosis)
          27th July 2014, 10:27

          Ignoring the fact that he thinks it’s some sort of conspiracy, he does have a point.
          That car was in the MIDDLE of the track JUST AFTER A CORNER and they let the marshalls run onto the track and push it away under yellows? That was incredibly reckless. I really have no idea why Charlie let that happen and why there was no discussion about it afterwards.

  17. Lewis’s consecutive Q1 mishaps are more than just bad luck, it looks deliberate, although it’s unlikely a conspiracy by the team. It will probably be discovered that one or two rogue crew members have been sabotaging Lewis’s car. This will never be made public even after Mercedes has fired the culprits. If the team is smart a few Nico DNFs to level the playing field would be a nice touch.

    1. I do believe something fishy is going on but why would a few rogue mechanics want to ruin Hamilton’s season?

      Surely he’s not that much of a Prima Donna!

      I think something’s been going on since Malaysia where Hamilton literally destroyed Rosberg.

    2. maarten.f1 (@)
      26th July 2014, 20:49

      To you, sir, I take off my aluminum hat! I think you just cracked the case.

      1. I suppose you just believe it’s bad luck, I bet you were one of the people who laughed at folk claiming Piquet Jr crashed on purpose as well.

        1. maarten.f1 (@)
          26th July 2014, 22:07

          yes, it’s entirely logical to hire a superstar driver for $20 million a year and then sabotage his race….

          I believe someone made a mistake (just as a driver sometimes makes a mistake), and nobody is going to be happy over this; the mechanics have to work overnight to get the car ready for tomorrow, and Hamilton has to start from the back of the grid. If you want to call that “bad luck”, fine by me.

          1. The car is that fast the team can pick and choose who they want to win, is this not true?

            Obviously when they signed him they didn’t know all this so of course it’s obvious they’d want Lewis who’s arguably the quickest driver in F1.

          2. It doesn’t matter how much Merc pays Lewis: They’ve already gotten their money’s worth, with a practically unassailable lead in the championship, access to Hamilton’s data, basically teaching Rosberg how to drive the car, & all the exposure that a driver of Lewis’ caliber brings to the team. They could screw him six ways till Sunday every Sunday & they’d still have gotten their money’s worth… a steal, IMO.

  18. If all that you are inferring comes even half way there then the next problem for Lewis is the wheel falling off after a pit stop…..drive through lost places at the next gp
    And I think even nico is feeling sorry for lewis

    1. Ken (@myxomatosis)
      27th July 2014, 10:29

      One of Lewis’ wheels will come off just after a pitstop before the season is over. I’m willing to bet on it.

  19. I believe Toto Wolff is more interested in aquiring a seat for his wife at Williams, then he is in aquiring a safe seat for one of his current drivers. I believe Mercedes should at the very least launch a thorough internal investigation to get to the bottom of the consistency of failure regarding the silver arrow #44 car. I don’t believe in luck good or bad, not in todays world where the image and financial stakes are so high.

    1. You seriously suspect sabotage, in a car where multiple terabytes of data are recorded and downloaded every second? His engineer would have reported that to the media if it were really the case, if Lewis didn’t first.

      1. I haven’t suggested sabotage. Moreover, multiple terabyte-schmerabyte. I’m talking about neglect. I’m talking about managements failure. The truth of it is, while there maybe no concerted effort to thwart the driver of the #44 silver arrows’ championship endeavor, there is precious little material evidence anyone has been trying to help since last the 44 was on the pole. I’ve expressed my opinion on Mr. Wolff, but consider how many slow pitstops, techinacal issues, and dnfs a certain driver had his last year at the other mercedes powered team in 2012, where I believe Mr P. Lowe was technical director. Pay attention people !

      2. Why would his engineer report it to the media if he’s in on it?

  20. WOW, I had to look this one up. con·fla·gra·tion
    an extensive fire that destroys a great deal of land or property. OR in this case Lewis’s car. Well since Lewis will not be a threat for Nico this weekend it seems that SebV and DanielR and maybe even Alphonso will keep Nico honest. I can only hope that just maybe FMassa could be on the podium, or JensenB that would make me happy. BUT I must admit every time something goes array with Lewis’s car I keep thinking that it will happen to Nico as well. thanks, rnr

  21. Let’s get a grip on things and look at facts.
    – WDC: First, Nico Rosberg (190); second, Lewis Hamilton (176); third, Daniel Ricciardo ways behind at 106
    – Constructors: First, Mercedes (366); second, Red Bull ways behind at 188
    Conspiracy theory — nuts; winners — yes.
    (and thanks to Keith for the W163 clip on the 1939 German GP a couple of days ago. Four hours racing, 500 km., old Nürburgring. Same mentality, motor racing is about winning.)

  22. I do not think that Mercedes will be deliberately sabotaging their car to make Lewis loose. The risks involved are too great.
    However I do not believe for one second this is bad luck either. The truth will be and is somewhere in the middle.

    Mercedes have made it clear Nico is their preferred choice for the championship by giving him the best pit crew, the best mechanics and the best strategy team. Anyone who doubts this for one second is clearly an idiot.

    Has Nico’s pit crew always out performed Lewis’?
    How many mechanic failures attributable to the mechanics has Lewis had in comparison to Nico?
    How much money and how much experience have Nico’s pit crew/mechanics have in comparison?

    Only Mercedes know the answer to these questions however if I was Lewis I would be asking them?

    It’s not sabotage but it’s not fair either.

  23. They need to get Brawn back asap – seriously. Paddy and TT can’t replace him on the same level. It’s disjointed whereas under Ross it worked.

  24. Zane, all of the points you make are true but all are a moneypit paid for by the sponsorship.
    Mercedes, PETRONAS and Blackberry none of which are British. (He who pays the piper calls the tune.)
    Does anyone that is not a Brit want Lewis to beat Schumacher’s Hungarian record? I think Nikki Lauda would much rather see NICO and he is a very autocratic driven personality with a lot of couth at Mercedes. I really do believe the playing field is not level between NICO and Lewis. So as usual I start to favour the underdog.

  25. Does anyone have the stats on pit stop times for Hamilton and Rosberg?
    There are still comparatively few mechanical failures so statistically it is hard to infer anything other than bad luck for Hamilton. There are however many more pit stops and if Rosberg’s stops are consistently faster than Hamiltons then you may start to see a statistically significant variation between the two drivers and at that point the conspiracy theorists really will have something to shout about

  26. Yeah, sure, their hearts are bleeding white how much they are gutted……

  27. Well clearly Mercedes are trying to hand Ros the championship. I guess they think that Ros is a better face for their brand. All decisions made by Merc today were trying to favour Rosberg. Asking Lewis to give way for a guy that’s not even faster than him showed how much bias there is within the team. I dont know who made the tyre choice for LH, but I think that Lewis would have won the race on soft tyre.

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