Amid the high-stakes drama of the Bahrain Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton found himself confronted with an unexpected challenge that threatened to derail his race. As the Mercedes star made his way through the field from the ninth position on the grid, he encountered an unsettling issue: a broken seat.
Urgently radioing his race engineer, Pete Bonnington, Hamilton exclaimed, “My seat is broken!” The revelation stunned many, especially given Hamilton’s renowned composure under pressure. In the aftermath of the race, Hamilton shed light on the bizarre incident during an interview with DAZN, recounting how his seat had unexpectedly shifted as he braked into turn one.
The sudden movement caused discomfort and instability, with Hamilton humorously describing how his “left butt cheek fell” as a result. Despite the unforeseen setback, Hamilton’s determination and skill were on full display as he navigated the challenging Bahrain International Circuit, managing to overtake competitors such as Fernando Alonso and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. However, while Hamilton’s resilience allowed him to salvage a respectable seventh-place finish, it fell short of the podium position he had hoped for.
Meanwhile, Hamilton’s teammate at Mercedes, George Russell, faced his own set of challenges during the race. After an impressive start that saw him snatch second place from Charles Leclerc, Russell’s momentum was abruptly halted by an engine cooling issue. Forced to manage the problem throughout the remainder of the race, Russell was unable to maintain his position, ultimately settling for fifth place.
Reflecting on the team’s performance, Mercedes’ trackside engineering director, Andrew Shovlin, acknowledged the disappointing and frustrating nature of the race. He attributed much of the team’s struggles to overheating issues that necessitated tire temperature management, impacting both Hamilton and Russell’s ability to push to their full potential.
Despite the setbacks, Shovlin remained optimistic about the team’s future prospects, pledging to conduct a thorough review of their performance and car setup in preparation for the upcoming race in Jeddah.
“The extra lift and coast the drivers were forced to do as a result of this also caused them to lose tyre temperature. They did their best to cope, with George trying valiantly to defend from those behind and Lewis chasing those ahead. Ultimately, P5 and P7 was likely the best we could do with the issues we were facing.”
“It was disappointing that we underperformed today. We will go away and review what we could have done differently. We will also look at our overall set-up as it was clear that neither driver was as happy with the balance of the car as they were over the rest of the weekend. These are all challenges of a new car and we’re looking forward to coming back stronger in Jeddah next week.”
As Mercedes strives to overcome the challenges posed by a new season and new regulations, the team remains focused on regaining its competitive edge and returning stronger in the races to come.
