Lewis Hamilton had to battle more than just his rivals during the Austrian Grand Prix, as the Ferrari driver endured extreme cockpit temperatures and a series of technical setbacks throughout a brutally hot afternoon at the Red Bull Ring.
A scorching Sunday at the Red Bull Ring
The FIA had issued an extreme heat warning well before the Austrian Grand Prix weekend. Despite the Red Bull Ring being located at an altitude of between 660 and 775 metres above sea level, temperatures climbed to exceptionally high levels, prompting teams to open up their bodywork significantly to improve cooling.
Race winner George Russell also had to manage power unit temperatures during the middle phase of the race, and Lewis Hamilton faced the same challenge. His race engineer, Carlo Santi, instructed him to activate the “TS mode,” which further reduced the power output of Ferrari’s #44 SF-26—already lacking horsepower compared to its main rivals.
Cooling vest failure made matters even worse
To make an already difficult afternoon even more challenging, Lewis Hamilton was unable to benefit from the cooling vest supplied to drivers after the system stopped working almost immediately following the race start.
“It was a really tough race,” the British driver told Viaplay. “The heat was unbelievable, absolutely unbearable. My cooling vest stopped working right after the start. The power unit also overheated, and I had to reduce the engine’s power when, in race trim, we’re already down on power compared to our rivals. I just had to limit the damage—the heat was absolutely brutal.” – the seven-time world champion pointed out.
Lewis Hamilton’s comments underline just how physically demanding the Austrian Grand Prix became, with the Ferrari driver forced to cope simultaneously with extreme cockpit temperatures, reduced engine performance and the intense demands of racing at one of Formula 1’s fastest circuits.
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