Lewis Hamilton has called on Mercedes to investigate George Russell’s mechanical failure at the 2023 Australian Grand Prix.
Russell had qualified P2 for the race, with Hamilton right behind in third.
The young Briton, however, went backwards after Mercedes pitted him following Alex Albon crashing and bringing out the Safety Car.
The stewards then red-flagged the race, dropping Russell to seventh, as his rivals were granted a free change of tyres.
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Russell made good progress after the race was restarted, but he suffered an engine blowout and retired from the grand prix; his first DNF as a result of a mechanical failure since he joined Mercedes in 2022.
Speaking after finishing in P2, behind Max Verstappen, Hamilton described Russell as “really unlucky” to have retired from the race.
“It’s really unlucky for George. Reliability on our side has been really good, but that’s something to look into,” Hamilton said.
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Continuing, the seven-time champion said, despite the podium, he is still struggling to get to grips with the W14.
“I still feel uncomfortable in the car, I still don’t feel connected to it. I’m trying as hard as I can with that disconnect and I’m trying as hard as I can, but it’s a long project.”
He added that it was “amazing” for Mercedes to be fighting with Aston Martin, given how much slower they were in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.