Mercedes continues to face a never-ending nightmare as both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton are forced to retire from the race. The disappointing run for the team at the Australian GP reaches a new low as Russell fails to complete the race due to an incident on the 57th Lap. Hamilton also suffers an early retirement after experiencing an engine failure on the 17th Lap.
In the final moments of the race, Russell endures a massive crash at high speed. He was battling for the sixth position when disaster struck, causing his car to become airborne and severely damaging the chassis.
Mercedes had a weekend filled with disappointment in Australia, failing to earn any points in the race. Even the Qualifying session yielded no significant results for the team. Hamilton’s early retirement due to engine failure further added to their woes.
Russell’s crash on the last lap resulted in a virtual safety car being deployed. Other drivers on the track had to navigate through the debris and the wrecked car. Fortunately, Russell did not sustain any major injuries from the crash.
Despite the crash, Russell quickly reassured his race engineer that he was unharmed. Fernando Alonso took advantage of the situation and easily overtook Russell, finishing in sixth place. The crash also prevented a last-lap battle between the two Ferrari drivers, allowing Carlos Sainz to win the 2024 Australian GP.
Mercedes will need to analyze what went wrong at the Australian GP and address the issues. The team leaves Australia with zero points and damaged cars for both drivers. They must first repair the chassis and may face penalties for Hamilton’s power unit problems.