Mercedes Rolls the dice
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has not ruled out a fifth engine for Lewis Hamilton, the reigning F1 champion with only six races left in the season, starting with the United States Grand Prix next weekend (October 22-24).
Hamilton took a 10-grid penalty last week in Turkey, then after some dissension within the team on whether or not to pit late, Hamilton finished in 5th. When Sky Sports F1 (2021) addressed Toto on the risky move, Toto stated, "We had to do it, we saw some data on the Internal Combustion unit that didn't look very promising and a DNF is a total killer for the championship" (para 3).
Mercedes indicated they were hearing noises ahead of the Turkey race and are aware of the problem now but still may need to swap the current engine out. This has been the fastest team by far in the hybrid era, and engine issues must be nerve-wracking for Mercedes.
Hamilton, visibly frustrated after Turkey, told reporters in the post-race press conference he wanted to focus none of his energy on fifth engines.
More to come, stay tuned.
Driver Standings:
| POS | DRIVER | NATIONALITY | CAR | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NED | RED BULL RACING HONDA | 262.5 | |
| 2 | GBR | MERCEDES | 256.5 | |
| 3 | FIN | MERCEDES | 177 | |
| 4 | GBR | MCLAREN MERCEDES | 145 | |
| 5 | MEX | RED BULL RACING HONDA | 135 | |
| 6 | ESP | FERRARI | 116.5 | |
| 7 | MON | FERRARI | 116 | |
| 8 | AUS | MCLAREN MERCEDES | 95 | |
| 9 | FRA | ALPHATAURI HONDA | 74 | |
| 10 | ESP | ALPINE RENAULT | 58 |
~Michael Patrick Day, Irish Proud & 12oz Sports Writer
Photo Credit: Ben Sutherland on Visualhunt
Reference
Sky Sports F1 (2021). Mercedes explain Lewis Hamilton's engine concerns and won't rule out taking another F1 grid penalty. Retrieved HERE
