F1 News: Lewis Hamilton Reveals Shocking News - Car Component 'Incorrectly Built' at Azerbaijan GP

Alex Harrington | Sep 15, 2024

May 2, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton (44) during a press conference in advance of the Miami Grand Prix at the Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images / John David Mercer-Imagn Images

Lewis Hamilton dropped a bombshell following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, admitting that a component on his Mercedes F1 car was "incorrectly built." The defect hampered his performance during qualifying at the Baku City Circuit, contributing to an underwhelming seventh-place start.

Hamilton’s admission shed light on his struggle throughout the race weekend. Despite a promising start with a well-performing car on Friday, slight adjustments seemed to have derailed his performance.

"We had a great car on Friday," Hamilton told Crash.net. "We made the tiniest changes into Saturday. One of the components wasn’t correctly built. That led us the wrong way then on Saturday."

Qualifying seventh, Hamilton was four-tenths of a second slower than his teammate George Russell. The issue pushed Mercedes to make a decision to replace the power unit and start Hamilton from the pit lane on race day. Despite their best efforts to rectify the problem, the implications of the build error were palpable in Hamilton's driving and the car's balance.

On race day, Hamilton faced an uphill battle starting from the back. He managed to claw his way up to a ninth-place finish, assisted partly by a crash between Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz. Hamilton described the race as one of the most challenging of his career due to severe balance issues with the car.

"It was the worst balance I’ve probably ever had so...

"I had so much front end but no rears I had to turn… it’s not the way you drive. I had to yank the steering to break the traction from the front, slide the front through every corner. It’s the weirdest way I had to drive."

Reflecting on the race, Hamilton admitted to the difficulty of overtaking with the compromised car.

"I knew that I wouldn’t be able to overtake. It’s difficult to follow in the middle, at least be close at the end. I don’t know why our pace was so bad on our side. It happens," he said.

The onboard footage during the race corroborated Hamilton’s unusual driving style, showcasing his inventive attempts to counteract the imbalance. Despite a strenuous effort, his ninth-place finish marked a disappointing outcome for the seven-time champion, who has often thrived under pressure.

Hamilton's news about the incorrectly built component raises concerns about manufacturing accuracy and quality control within the team at such a critical point in the season. This sort of thing can't be happening in F1, let alone in a team that's fighting for podium finishes.

The Azerbaijan GP race had its share of drama beyond Hamilton's struggles. Oscar Piastri secured the win, followed by Charles Leclerc, and George Russell rounded out the podium in third. Lando Norris followed in fourth and Max Verstappen in fifth.