Mercedes clarifies Lewis Hamilton’s seat discomfort during the Bahrain GP was not due to breakage, amid safety concerns.
Mercedes F1 Track Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin disclosed that Lewis Hamilton’s racing seat was not broken during the Bahrain Grand Prix, despite the driver’s radio complaints.
The seven-time world champion did indeed feel an issue, as he raced with “one buttock higher than the other” for part of the event.
Upon closer inspection, there was no sign of breakage, although the anchorage points of his harness might have been too loose during the race.
“We obviously retrieved the car post-race, checked the seat immediately and it was fine,” Shovlin confirms today.
“Seats are designed to be removable because, in the event of an accident, the driver exits with the seat, and essentially, what keeps the seat in the car is the driver being strapped to it by the harness.”
“The only explanation we can think of is if Lewis was slightly mis-strapped, he might have moved a bit, and maybe the seat lifted, had a slight movement, and didn’t properly return to position, because looking at it afterwards, there’s no evidence of any breakage, of it being in the wrong position.”
“However, while it may be slightly uncomfortable for the driver if they’re not firmly rigid in the car, a seat failure doesn’t mean the driver can come detached.”
“A driver is always safe. But as I said, it seems to be something very subtle; there might have been a bit of movement, then it reset, and everything was fine for the rest of the race.”
Hamilton’s F1 Seat Issue Not a Breakage. Hamilton’s F1 Seat Issue Not a Breakage
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