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F1 Malaysian GP: Hamilton prepared to skip sessions as engine confidence wavers

Lewis Hamilton says he would be prepared to skip practice sessions in the five final races of the 2016 Formula 1 season if it meant protecting his remaining engines following a dramatic exit from the Malaysian Grand Prix.

The title contender was on course for a seventh win of the season in Sepang, one that would have taken him back into the lead of the overall standings, only for his Mercedes engine to blow with 16 laps remaining.

His first technical DNF of the season, Hamilton heads into the final five rounds of the season facing a 23 point deficit to Rosberg.

However, after revealing the blown engine was one of the 'new' power units Mercedes stockpiled during the Belgian Grand Prix when Hamilton took a hefty grid penalty, the defending champion admits his confidence in his remaining two power units has wavered.

Referring to himself as 'Mercedes' number one driver, Hamilton says he will be prepared to go to unprecedented measures to protect them for the race.

"For Mercedes I'm the number one driver, so when these things happen I want to understand what that is and how Mercedes is going to go about making sure that does not happen again.

"Right now my concern is that I've got these two engines and I want to make sure they can treat them with whatever they can to make sure they last. If that means not doing a session, I will not do a session. If that's what I've got to do, because I'll do whatever it takes to see through the race."

Indeed, Hamilton has urged Mercedes to get to the bottom of not only this failure but why only engines from his allocation are being affected.

"I need to understand why these keep happening because we've got 43 engines. There's eight Mercedes cars out there today, powered by the same engine as mine, and mine happens to fail

"Honestly, you've got to understand from my point, on one side we've had the most incredible success over these last two years of which I am so grateful. These guys work so hard, we are all feeling the pain right now.

"When you get out of the car after the feeling you have after leading the race and the car fails, it's pretty hard to say positive things but honestly I feel, as I said in the interviews, Mercedes have built 43 engines with the extra three that I have had and I happen to have had most of, if not all the failures, so that is definitely a top thing

"I have one hundred per cent confidence in these guys, I've been with them now into my fourth year with the guys in the garage, the guys back at the factory. I have one hundred per cent faith in them."

Zdroj: crash.net