German GP: 5-place penalty for Hamilton, a start from the pits?

Victim of a failure of a brake disc, although new, during the first part of the qualifying session of the German Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton might have to start from the pit lane for the race, in accordance with the regulations imposed by the FIA. Mercedes would like to play it safe by replacing the discs on car No. 44.

Furthermore, the change of his gearbox, which was damaged in the accident, penalizes him with a 5-place grid penalty for the German Grand Prix. He thus finds himself in 20th position out of 22 cars.

Before the final practice session, the British driver had chosen to change his brake discs, switching from parts made by Carbone Industrie – used by Nico Rosberg during these qualifying sessions – to parts made by Brembo. The Parc Fermé rules, while obviously allowing repairs, might not permit the replacement of one part with a different one.

Toto Wolff, the executive director of Mercedes, explained to Autosport that the FIA was studying the issue: « We had a brake failure which requires us to ensure that the car will run safely tomorrow. This means changing brake suppliers. If it means starting from the pit lane, it hasn’t been discussed yet, and we haven’t made the decision. But we are in discussion with the FIA. And I would go even further: obviously, many teams are running with this equipment so this safety discussion probably needs to be extended. »

On Lewis Hamilton’s side, the regular change of his brake disc brand is a habit. He explains the reasons behind these decisions: « You can choose brakes that are not as aggressive from the start but have more bite later, which will weaken less. At these temperatures, there can be a loss of efficiency on certain discs – I chose these because they have more braking power, which means I can brake later. » It is worth noting that while the brand of brake discs can change, the calipers are supplied by Brembo.

Asked about his feelings regarding the incident, he assures: « I don’t really think about safety. Since my first accident as a child, with a bloody nose, all I cared about was that the car was okay. All I’m interested in now is what they’re going to do, getting the car back in shape tomorrow to do what I do best and try to make my way through the pack. I don’t think about the brakes. I will attack as hard as usual on the brakes from the start. You have to get over it and keep moving forward. »

Finally, Nico Rosberg explained, after the qualifying session, that he himself had suffered from difficulties with his brakes: « I fitted new brakes for qualifying and there was something wrong with them throughout the session. It was very difficult for me to fully engage [in the corners] and I didn’t feel comfortable the whole time. »