Mercedes reveals the amount of time Hamilton lost due to front wing damage

Andrew Shovlin of Mercedes has disclosed how much time Lewis Hamilton lost in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix due to front wing damage.

Mercedes has revealed how much lap time Lewis Hamilton lost during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after his front wing was damaged in two separate incidents.

Hamilton was sandwiched between Max Verstappen and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon at the penultimate restart, and the Red Bull driver dived up the inside of both.

Hamilton’s front wing collided with the Alpine’s side, causing some minor damage. But that was nothing compared to a now collision between Hamilton and Verstappen on Lap 37/50.

Verstappen appeared to be caught out as he slowed down the back straight into Turn 27 to give Hamilton position, and the Mercedes driver ended up hitting the back of the Red Bull. Hamilton was able to continue despite the fact that the damage was significantly greater.

“It [the damage] was going up and up!” Mercedes’ Trackside Engineering Director, Andrew Shovlin, explained to media.

“We started off with probably only about a tenth or two [lost]. After he got sandwiched and Esteban rode over it, we were quite lucky that it just seemed to hit the road. We lost a few bits, but it bounced back. No more damage.

“After [the incident with] Max, we then lost the whole side of it, so you’re getting up nearer four-tenths of performance.”

Setting the fastest lap

Despite the far more significant damage, Hamilton regrouped in first place and went out to set the quickest lap.

On Lap 47, he set a time of 1:30.734, earning him the fastest lap bonus point, and Shovlin later admitted that he could have gone faster without the front wing damage.

“He’s very determined. We were very much in two minds, [as] we were seeing other people struggling with the tyres,” he said.

“We could see that the wing was most definitely not guaranteed to stay on the car after the afternoon or the evening that it had had.

“It’s a difficult decision between, do you go for the point that Lewis knew would put him level, or do you play it safe?

“Ultimately, Lewis was the one who took the decision and that decision was probably aided by the fact he can’t actually see that. Because if he was watching the TV like we were, he may have thought better of it!”

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