© LAT Images for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd
Mercedes has explained how much lap time Lewis Hamilton was been losing due to two separate incidents that damaged his front wing.
Lewis Hamilton was involved in two incidents that damaged his front wing at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, one with the Alpine of Esteban Ocon and one with the Red Bull of Max Verstappen.
Mercedes Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin explains how much lap time the Briton was losing because of the damage.
“It [the damage] was going up and up!” Shovlin said.
“We started off with probably only about a tenth or two. After he got sandwiched and Esteban rode over it, we were quite lucky that it just seemed to hit the road.
“We lost a few bits, but it bounced back. No more damage. After Max, we then lost the whole side of it, so you’re getting up nearer four-tenths of performance.”
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After the Verstappen collision his front wing was visibly damaged with chunks falling off, but Lewis still managed to win the race and get a point for fastest lap.
“He’s very determined. We were very much in two minds, [as] we were seeing other people struggling with the tyres.
“We could see that the wing was most definitely not guaranteed to stay on the car after the afternoon or the evening that it had had.
“It’s a difficult decision between, do you go for the point that Lewis knew would put him level, or do you play it safe?
“Ultimately, Lewis was the one who took the decision and that decision was probably aided by the fact he can’t actually see that.
“Because if he was watching the TV like we were, he may have thought better of it,” Shovlin concluded.
