MERCEDES PLAYS IT SAFE ON THE ENGINE FRONT
Mercedes revealed in Japan that Lewis Hamilton’s spectacular engine blowout in Malaysia had been due to a big-end bearing failure. Although the team noticed a drop in oil pressure before the Briton’s race-ending problem, there was no clear warning of the problem and Mercedes has yet to identify the exact cause of the failure. The now triple world champions elected to take precautionary measures in Japan. It introduced revised running parameters on all Mercedes power units for the works and customer teams, including a more conservative oil specification, revised engine mapping and more prudent usage.
Meanwhile, further analysis has been conducted at Brixworth and the High Performance Powertrains (HPP) department under the stewardship of Mercedes engine boss Andy Cowell.
Except for Esteban Ocon, all Mercedes-powered drivers in customer teams (Williams, Force India, and Manor) should have received a new unit in Japan. But the German manufacturer elected to delay these five new engines until the HPP probe into the failed unit reached its conclusion.
