Lewis Hamilton encountered a disastrous turn of events at the Australian Grand Prix, where he was compelled to withdraw from the race due to an engine malfunction. The seven-time Formula 1 World Champion found himself “really struggling” with his vehicle throughout the event.
Starting from the 11th position following a subpar qualifying performance, Hamilton’s troubles compounded as his engine faltered before completing even 20 laps. Martin Brundle, promptly highlighted Hamilton’s ongoing challenges with his Mercedes over the entire race weekend.
Prior to the engine failure, David Croft shed light on Hamilton’s ordeal: “Lewis Hamilton, heading down towards turn one, on the hard tyre, struggling for grip and struggling and turning into that corner and not able to stay on the track.”
Brundle then highlighted: “Lewis hasn’t been on top of this car all weekend, it just will not respond. It’s not giving him trust and confidence in turns like that, turns one and two at high speed and Lewis really struggling. We saw him [do that] so many times through there.”
Hamilton confessed that the beginning of the new season marked the “worst” start of his career. He had previously secured seventh and eighth positions in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, respectively, before his premature exit in Australia.
“It’s the worst start to a season I’ve ever had,” he stated. “It’s worse than 2009. It’s tough on the spirit for everyone in the team when so much work has been going on over the winter.
“You come in excited, driven and motivated, with the mindset you’re going to be fighting for wins, then that’s not the case. Then you think ‘okay, maybe second or third’ and that’s not the case and it cascades a bit further down and you go through the motions.
“It’s challenging. I continue to be inspired by the people I’ve worked with and continue to put in the effort and show up. That’s the most important thing.”
Hamilton’s fellow Mercedes driver, George Russell, also suffered a crash during the race. Meanwhile, defending champion Max Verstappen had to retire due to a brake fire. The victory ultimately went to Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who is slated to be succeeded by Hamilton in the upcoming season.
