Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff at odds as Briton’s Mercedes theory rejected | F1 | Sport

Lewis Hamilton’s theory that Mercedes’ latest update package could have caused both him and teammate George Russell to spin out at the US Grand Prix has been dismissed by Toto Wolff.

The seven-time world champion had a rare day off at the Circuit of the Americas, making mistakes in both the sprint and main qualifying and struggling to finish sixth in the sprint race on Saturday.

Then, having gained five positions on the opening lap thanks to an unprecedented P17 grid position, Hamilton appeared to make an uncharacteristic mistake by dropping the rear of his car at Turn 19 on the third lap of the race, leaving him stranded in the gravel and out of the running. . race.

Speaking after the race, Hamilton was still unable to describe what had happened, but suggested: “I had the same thing in first position. I had a spin in turn three, which is so rare. In all the years I’ve been here, I’ve never spun into Turn 3.

“I was just saying that George apparently had the same problem yesterday, he went back to the old car and it looks good there, so maybe there’s something to the new upgrade.”

He later added: “I wasn’t even pushing at that moment. I was literally just trying to get going and get the tires up to temperature. The car started bouncing, the left front started bouncing and the rear just spun around. was the same as George yesterday.”

When asked about Hamilton’s theory, team leader Wolff disagreed. “I don’t think we have a fundamental problem with renewal,” he said. “I think it’s more of an interaction between aerodynamics and mechanics. Therefore, we are going to continue modernization.

“It makes no sense to withdraw because you still have a lot of lap time. However, on the other hand, you need to be very open-minded. George did the July update (on Sunday) because we didn’t have a (new) floor and it seemed pretty competitive.”

The end of Hamilton’s career in Austin comes against the backdrop of the Briton’s difficult form. After two wins and a podium in three races before the summer break, the 39-year-old has not finished higher than fifth in his last five starts.

Teammate Russell has endured a similarly difficult period, with just one podium finish in his last eight races, although he put in a memorable recovery ride on Sunday, pitting from the pit lane to sixth, even after a controversial five-second time. fine.