Mercedes Formula 1 team blames software for Australian GP loss
The Mercedes Formula 1 team suspects a software glitch caused Lewis Hamilton to lose Australian Grand Prix victory to Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari during a virtual safety car period
Melbourne polesitter Hamilton had led the early stages of the 2018 F1 season-opener but was leapfrogged by the later-stopping Vettel during a mid-race VSC period that had been called to help marshals retrieve Romain Grosjean's Haas.
While Hamilton was baffled about how he had lost the lead after not being warned beforehand that he was in any danger of doing so, Mercedes thinks a software programming issue meant it was not made aware of the threat that Vettel had posed.
"We thought we had about a three-second margin, so we need to ask the computers - and that is what we are doing at the moment," Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff told Sky.
"If we have a software problem somewhere we have to fix it.
"I think the problem is within our system. Fifteen seconds is what you need and we had 12, which we thought was enough but it wasn't."
Wolff suggested that part of the problem had come up because Mercedes' system had not correctly calculated the gaps during a particularly close race.
"It is a situation we didn't have yet with a special constellation of cars on track, so the gap that we needed was wrongly calculated by the system," he said.
"The way the algorithms are set up, the way the computers are programmed, the green light was always enough for us to stay ahead.
"But then we saw the TV pictures and it wasn't enough."
Australian Grand Prix: Sebastian Vettel jumps Lewis Hamilton to win
Water pump problem meant Sainz 'nearly vomited' in Australian GP
The pioneering pair who brought a new glory era to an F1 heavyweight
With the team’s founder now retired and a new boss at the helm, change was coming to Brabham – change that would shape the future of Formula 1. In the third part of our four-part history of Brabham, DAMIEN SMITH examines the effect Bernie Ecclestone had on the team
The combination behind the Silverstone racing battles Hamilton called "F1 at its best"
OPINION: The late battling in the British Grand Prix wowed Formula 1 fans and surely represents the best racing action of the season so far. And there was a cocktail of factors that created the action, from which Carlos Sainz emerged as a popular new winner
How Ferrari’s Monaco headache became its Silverstone migraine
OPINION: Ferrari won the British Grand Prix with Carlos Sainz, but it ultimately cost Charles Leclerc a chance to make a bigger dent in Max Verstappen's title lead by leaving the Monegasque out on old tyres towards the end. Like Monaco, indecision over strategy proved to be the Scuderia's biggest issue - and if the team doesn't reflect, the headache can only intensify
The five factors behind Sainz winning a British GP he’d twice lost
Formula 1 has a newest race winner, in a grand prix the victor appeared to have lost twice, only to charge back to headline a sensational and dramatic British Grand Prix. From a massive start crash to a late sprint finish, here’s how five factors saw Carlos Sainz take his maiden grand prix win
Why there was no case to answer in Aston’s latest F1 copycat saga
The appearance of a revised Aston Martin in Spain caused controversy but PAT SYMONDS explains why the FIA investigation found the Silverstone team had no case to answer
Why it's Red Bull that really leads a three-way fight so far at Silverstone
After a slow start to Friday at Silverstone, all the Formula 1 teams had to effectively cram in a day’s worth of practice into one hour. But there was still plenty to learn and while Ferrari topped the times, a three-way battle is brewing ahead of the British Grand Prix
Why the future is bright for the British GP
It wasn’t so long ago the situation looked bleak at Silverstone with the future of the British Grand Prix under threat. But a transformation has seen it restored to one of the most important races on the Formula 1 calendar, with bigger and better to come
Could mixed fortunes for F1's leading Brits turn around at Silverstone?
For the first time in many years, none of the local racers starts among the favourites for the British Grand Prix. But George Russell, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris could have reasons for optimism