24 March 2024 , 05:06
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Mercedes have confirmed that an engine failure forced Lewis Hamilton to retire from the Australian Grand Prix.
Hamilton's race in Melbourne lasted for just 20 laps. He had started 11th on the grid after an awful qualifying, but his weekend got worse when he reported a problem with his power unit over the radio.
He tried to limp back to the pits but was unable to do so. Instead, he was forced to pull over at the side of the track and it was confirmed that he would be taking no further part in the Grand Prix.
It made Hamilton the second retiree from the Melbourne race. The first was Max Verstappen, who suffered a brake fire which melted the rear-right corner of his Red Bull and gave Carlos Sainz the chance to take victory in his stead.
And a dream day for Ferrari got even better when Charles Leclerc finished second behind him to secure the one-two finish for the Scuderia. Lando Norris completed the podium to get rewards for a strong drive in his McLaren.
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In contrast, Mercedes' day became even more wretched in the final stages when George Russell crashed out of the race. He was hunting down Fernando Alonso but lost control of his car.
The Briton smashed into the barrier before he was sent careering into the gravel. The wheels dislodged from the wishbones but remained attached to the car by their tethers, which led to them going underneath the car and flipping it up onto its side, where it came to rest in the gravel.
Speaking after the conclusion of the race, Hamilton backed up the theory of his engineers. ""I think the engine seized. It just appeared out of nowhere, like a split-second thing," he explained.
In truth, he was not going to be in contention for a big haul of points anyway. And it became clear to Hamilton just how far off the leaders Red Bull his Mercedes team remains in terms of pace as he came across Sergio Perez on track.
Describing that encounter, he said: ""There's a massive gap. I think they have a second on us, something like that. He was on fresh tyres but, yeah, just the way he pulled away down the straight... the same as last year."