When a Components 1 workforce receives an electronic mail from Jo Bauer after a Grand Prix, they’ll sense what’s coming. “He does not seem within the media fairly often,” says reporter Louis Dekker, “and he often does not electronic mail as a result of he desires to ship the winner a bunch of flowers.”
Mercedes driver George Russell misplaced his victory after the race as a result of his automobile turned out to be one and a half kilos too gentle. Because of this, the victory went to colleague Lewis Hamilton, who had completed the race in second place. Max Verstappen got here in fifth, however moved as much as fourth place.
A Components 1 automobile weighs virtually 800 kilos, so a distinction of 1 and a half kilos appears to make little distinction at first look. Dekker: “You may suppose: one and a half kilos, what distinction does that make? However the historical past of Components 1 reveals that there’s just one penalty for that: disqualification.”
Blunder of gok
How might Mercedes have ignored this? “It might have been a blunder, as a result of for instance they miscalculated the quantity of gasoline it is best to have left on the finish of the race,” Dekker explains. “Choice two – and that’s more durable to show – is that they intentionally cheated and took a big gamble. Mercedes would have needed to give you a very good excuse to get away with this.”
The victory went to teammate Hamilton, however in accordance with Dekker there might be no jubilant temper on the racing workforce. “They had been celebrating a double victory. Seven years in the past they did that just about each weekend, till Max Verstappen grew to become world champion. They have not had such weekends fairly often since then – so the reduction was monumental. When the e-mail arrives whereas the champagne bottles are prepared, you’ll be able to surprise what stays of the celebration. It’s a small comfort that the victory went to Hamilton.”
