P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Mercedes Technical Director James Allison has blamed the “uncharacteristic” error Lewis Hamilton made in the Chinese Grand Prix on its
Hamilton started the Shanghai round in damp conditions with a strong performance, moving from second place on the grid during the Sprint race. However, his weekend took a turn for the worse when a lock-up in Turn 14 during the qualifying session led to a surprising Q1 elimination. Hamilton struggled with extreme understeer due to an experimental set-up choice on his Mercedes during the race. Mercedes’ technical director, Allison, emphasized the risks associated with adjusting car set-ups mid-weekend under the revised Sprint format. He mentioned that Hamilton regretted not following teammate George Russell’s strategy in qualifying, which could have secured him a better position. Allison stressed that Mercedes must take responsibility for producing an unstable car that can lead to unexpected errors from the drivers.
