No grid penalty for Russell in Baku, but there are reliability concerns
George Russell will receive a new power unit in his car in Baku at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver will not receive a grid penalty for the change, but there are still concerns about their engine reliability.
The Australian Grand Prix came to an abrupt and spectacular end for Russell. On lap 18, flames erupted from his Mercedes, meaning the Briton had to retire early after a promising start. It was Mercedes' first mechanical failure this season, although customer teams McLaren and Aston Martin had engine problems before.
The cause of the problems was unclear for a long time. At Mercedes' factory, however, they are now a little wiser: according to Motorsport.com, the ignition was caused by one of the six cylinders in the engine failing. However, it raises completely new questions again, as the team does not know what caused this failure.
Many engine problems in the first few races
So in Baku, Russell will put a completely new power unit in his car. But as it is only the second power unit he has used this season, the Mercedes driver will not face a grid penalty. It is possible that a new hybrid system will also be fitted. For now, it is unclear whether that will be necessary.
In the first three races of the season, the number of engine problems has been remarkably high. Charles Leclerc crashed out in Bahrain with a problem that team boss Frederic Vasseur said was unprecedented. Nico Hulkenberg saw his Ferrari engine stall immediately after the Australian Grand Prix. Nyck de Vries had to watch the final free practice in Saudi Arabia from the sidelines as he also needed a completely new power unit. This makes Renault the only engine supplier that has not yet experienced any problems this season.
That's not fair, he should be starting from the pit lane just so Lewis gets the better race result and also toto should get fined £1m for blowing up George's car so Lewis could get a podium in aus.
Let me be clear: GPBlog demands a level of respect and fair play from its readers as well as undesirables such as you. Your comment is not only unhelpful, but it also displays a profound lack of understanding of the sport and its values. It's time to focus on what really matters: the upcoming race and the improvements that PETRONAS AMG F1 is making to stay competitive. Let's leave the negativity and baseless accusations behind and focus on what makes this sport great: the thrill of the competition and the pursuit of excellence.
Welcome to the blog. You've not seen anything yet. It gets a wee bit halarious at times. Its as if some had been in the black stuff half the morning and are completely stocious.
Let me be clear chap, my post is sarcasm if you've seen my comments prior to this you would've picked up on that but hey ho if you're looking for a friendly happy go lucky place to discuss F1 between opposing fan bases with respect well quite frankly you're on the wrong blog. My comment is using the exact same logic that the max trolls use on a daily basis believing Merc sabotage George every other race weekend just to benefit Lewis or that toto/Merc are the only team that lobby the FIA when infact RB are far worse at that game than Merc are in my opinion. As ibohunt said " you've not seen anything yet" "Let's leave the negativity and baseless accusations behind and focus on what makes this sport great" ??That's all in good faith but I will say that's more than a pipe dream if you think for 1 minute "the baseless accusations and negativity " is going to take a back seat on gpblog there's no chance of that happening. You will see what I mean, I look forward to seeing you say the same thing in the coming days to the RB/max side of the fence [ I won't hold my breath though ] You're either a max fan or a Lewis fan on here and that's it and if you just happen to say anything against max/RB your instantly branded a hater or a troll. You will also notice the George/Lewis/Merc/toto side of the fence get mud thrown at them at every single opportunity going. Ps have a nice day and welcome to the blog [if in fact you are new here and not just another banned user with another account].
"[if in fact you are new here and not just another banned user with another account]." I keep forgetting the banned folks coming back like zombies from the dead OR, better yet, what appears to be some nicks being used by several individuals. Enjoy your day BigChap.
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