Hamilton sends an alarming radio message: "I'm actually in pain"
F1 News
Lewis Hamilton expressed how he was 'in pain' during the first and only free practice session during the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend. Both Mercedes driver struggled with bouncing during the entire session, with various radio messages throughout.
Hamilton frequently reported bouncing issues on the track in Sao Paulo. But it became a lot more serious towards the end of the session. "I'm actually in a bit of pain mate. How much longer we got," Hamilton told his Mercedes race engineer Peter Bonnington over the team radio.
What was the problem for Hamilton in FP1?
Mercedes told GPblog that they're not sure what the problem was for Hamilton and that he will need to explain it when he returns to the garage after the FP1 session.
However, it seems likely to be caused by the ride quality. The 39-year-old said earlier in the session: "I'm bouncing across the track everywhere". His teammate Russell also struggled. At the end of the session, he said: "That was one bumpy ride. Wow." Russell finished second fastest in the session. Hamilton finished in P16 but didn't complete a lap on the softs. The track has been resurfaced for the event this season.