Lewis Hamilton’s Australian Grand Prix retirement explained as Mercedes confirm cause
Lewis Hamilton pulled over on the side of the Melbourne track less than 20 laps into the Australian Grand Prix, reporting an issue with his power unit over the radio to Mercedes.
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 attempted to hobble back to the pits but was unsuccessful.
Instead, he had to stop at the side of the track and it was confirmed that he would not be continuing in the Grand Prix. Hamilton’s retirement in the Melbourne race marked the second occurrence of a driver exiting the race.
The first driver to retire was Max Verstappen, whose Red Bull car caught fire due to brake issues, resulting in Carlos Sainz seizing the opportunity to claim victory.
