Mercedes Reveal Reason For Recurring Lewis Hamilton Monza Problem

Mercedes reveals what caused Lewis Hamilton's recurring cockpit heat issues in Monza.

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

Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes trackside engineering chief, has shed light on seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton's recurring "hot seat" complaints during the Italian Grand Prix weekend at the iconic Monza circuit.

The unusually high temperatures at Monza, which exceeded 30 degrees Celsius, played a significant role in amplifying the cockpit heat issues that Hamilton described as “ridiculously hot,” similar to “sitting in a sauna with no shorts on.”

Shovlin explained through Mercedes' YouTube channel that the primary culprit for the excessive heat was the ambient temperature. He explained:

“The most significant cause was in Monza it was extremely hot.

“The seat and the car is always running pretty hot and there’s a lot of heat generated by the power unit that you’re trying to dissipate.

“You’ve also got a lot of electronic boxes and those are working quite hard and they generate their own temperature so you’re trying to lose that out of the cockpit.”

The combination of these internal heat sources and the friction between the car's plank and the track exacerbates the problem.

“You’ve also got the car down the straights in Monza, there is a few places where the planks hitting the road and that will in itself will generate temperature through friction and that will start to sort of begin to conduct up through the floor of the car and into the driver’s seat.

“With the ambient temperature at 34, nothing can be below that, you’ve also got numerous heat sources and it just pushes it up so the cockpit starts to get considerably above a driver’s body temperature, it’s then very hard for them to cool down and the heat just builds and builds.

“Now they’re used to driving in these very difficult environments, it’s just that when you get the very hottest races, it’s a bit extreme and it really does test them.”

During the Monza race weekend, the challenging conditions culminated in Mercedes finishing fifth and seventh. Ongoing efforts are dedicated to mitigating these heat issues, including extensive driver training and exploring additional cooling equipment for exceptionally hot races. Shovlin confirmed:

“Now, we are looking at ways at which we can improve the situation for our drivers, within the sport as well they are looking at means that we can apply additional equipment to the car at these exceptional races that will keep the drivers a bit cooler, but as I said it is a very challenging environment and that is why they do so much training.”