Hamilton: tough on a damaged Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton lacked success at the Chinese Grand Prix. Starting last after a mechanical problem in qualifying, the reigning world champion clashed with Felipe Nasr at the second corner. The pilot Mercedes adopted an aggressive strategy by making multiple stops, but he was only able to salvage a seventh place after struggling in the final laps.

“It was a really tough race. I got off to a good start, which is always hard from the back of the grid. I tried to avoid what was happening in front of me but I couldn’t.”, commented Lewis Hamilton in the paddock of the Chinese Grand Prix.

“This track is quite good because you can overtake and get close to the competitors, but the car was damaged.”, said the three-time world champion. “I'm sure there was damage to some aero components, but I think the suspension suffered as well. The car was constantly moving. I fought all the time, but I had to do everything again at each stop and I ran out of tires at the end. »

Lewis Hamilton retains his second place in the Championship but is now 36 points behind Nico Rosberg, who is still undefeated this season.

Discover the analysis of the Chinese Grand Prix carried out by our special correspondents in issue 2059 of AUTOhebdo, available from Monday evening in digital version on all platforms, and from Wednesday on newsstands.

Jacques-Armand Dupuis