Mercedes has confirmed that Lewis Hamilton will take part in the Canadian Grand Prix, despite the pain and numbness he suffered in Baku last weekend.
Chief strategist James Vowles said Hamilton had visited the Mercedes factory in Brackley and confirmed that he had recovered from his pain in Azerbaijan.
“I’m pleased to report that Lewis is here this morning,” Vowles said in a video posted by the team. “I spent a few hours with him and he’s fine. He’ll be back in the car in Montreal.
“He’s an elite athlete who will push the limits of his endurance and the car and that’s what Formula 1 drivers do, that’s what makes them exceptional.”
However, Vowles admitted that the team had put a lot of strain on his driver with the experimental set-up he did last weekend and caused a strong rebound on the crashed straight. “This time we pushed the package and our drivers too far. We’re putting them in a lot of trouble and we just can’t do it again.”
Hamilton described it as his “most painful career ever.” At the start of the Grand Prix he warned his team that he thought it would crash because his car was very difficult to control.
Poll: Vote for your 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend driver. In the final stages, Hamilton told the radio that his seat had cooled down, despite the race being held warm with track temperatures above 45ºC. Vowles said the cold feeling Hamilton experienced was, in fact, a consequence of the violent rebound he suffered.
“I spent a few minutes with Lewis before to ask him what happened. He hadn’t really changed anything in the car, it looks like after the number of blows he had had on his back from the rebound, he basically had a numbness that set in. And it seems that the cold was an answer to that.
“So there was nothing cold in the car. It’s just a response to the amount of stamina and pain he had suffered during the race.”
Vowles noted that Mercedes was one of several teams whose drivers commented on the poor driving quality they suffered in Baku. “Our drivers are not the only ones suffering. You will see in the media a series of comments from a number of drivers who are equally suffering from discomfort and pain. And now we have a responsibility to make sure that this doesn’t continue. “
Announcements | Become a supporter of RaceFans and go without advertising
Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2022
See all articles from the 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix