The Mercedes Formula 1 power unit that triggered Lewis Hamilton’s premature retirement from the Australian Grand Prix is unsalvageable, Toto Wolff has confirmed.
A power unit shutdown with no prior warning on Lap 17 sent Hamilton into retirement at Albert Park almost a fortnight ago as he fought on the fringes of the points.
Technical Director James Allison admitted in the week succeeding the race that “a rapid loss of oil pressure followed by a shutdown of the engine” had been the cause, citing that the shutdown was necessary “to protect it because when you know you’ve got catastrophic loss like that, the best thing you can do for the future is kill it there and then.”
The power unit was subsequently shipped back to Mercedes’ engine headquarters in Brixworth, where investigations found the issues to be terminal.
“Yeah, that one is for the bin,” Team Principal Wolff said of the doomed power unit during Friday’s Japanese Grand Prix press conference.
“It is a very highly unusual failure that we have, a hardware failure that we didn’t see coming before. So yeah, we can’t reuse that.
“And it depends how the season develops, whether we need one more or not. I can’t really see at that stage whether that will be needed or not.”
What would have been crucial in matters like this would have been the engine’s sensors which measure all sorts of things including NOx, and for readers who would like to understand more, what does NOx stands for.
Autosport reported that the issue in question was a bottom-end failure and whilst that represents a quality process problem, it is understood not to be a design flaw.
Bottom-end failures pertain to issues with items such as the crankshaft, bearings, pistons, rings and con rods – in other words, fundamental power unit components.
The written-off engine reduces Hamilton’s power unit allocation for the season from four down to three, with a record 24-round-long campaign still in its infant stages.
It’s the latest setback in what has been a trying start to the 2024 season for Hamilton and Mercedes, who have encountered calibration issues with its new W15 charger.
With George Russell crashing out in Australia to resign Mercedes to a double DNF, the team has endured its worst start since 2012 with 26 points from three rounds.
Despite this, Hamilton was upbeat after the opening practice hours in Suzuka, labelling FP1 as “the best session we’ve had this year, the best the car has felt this year so far“.
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