Wolff believes DNF at COTA was '100% not Hamilton's fault'
F1 News
Lewis Hamilton had a challenging weekend at the 2024 US Grand Prix, where he faced problems after everytime he did something positive. During sprint qualifying, the Briton was having a great lap, until Franco Colapinto has spun. During the Grand Prix, after a great start where he gained five positions, he lost his Mercedes in Sector 3. Team principal Toto Wolff believes the seven-time the latter incident was not the Briton's fault.
After a difficult qualifying session where Hamilton was already eliminated in Q1 after finishing in P19, the Briton could make up many positions already after Turn 1 at the Circuit of the Americas. However, on Lap 2, he lost his car and ended up in the gravel trap.
Wolff defends Hamilton
"Today, an incident in that corner that came out of nowhere. He was not pushing. So where I sit at the moment, it's 100% not Lewis's fault. And that is not to say that I'm protecting him. It's clear. It was gusty. There was a slipstream," Wolff said about Hamilton's DNF in Austin.
He continued: "We're keen on that (having a great result with Hamilton before he leaves for Ferrari), but how his mindset and how the relationships are in the team is as good as we ever had. First thing he said, he apologised for the incident. As I said before, I don't think it was his fault. Something caught him out."
The Austrian believes they can say goodbye to Hamilton with a positive result. "We want to celebrate it and finish it on a high. And I'm sure we will. Whether we can do it with great performance in the car, that would be fantastic. But if not, then we'll give it our best shot. And I think he will be looking at what they are and we think that red car is quick," he concluded.
Want more Formula 1? Then follow GPblog on our various social media channels!