Mercedes explains radio message Hamilton: 'We push everything to the limit'

During the Australian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton came out with the message over the on-board radio that he had been put in an awkward situation. James Vowles, strategist for Mercedes, explains why the seven-time champion was in that situation.

After the second safety car in Melbourne, Hamilton found himself driving behind teammate George Russell. The Briton then let it be known over the on-board radio that he was in an awkward situation. This had nothing to do with the fact that he was driving behind Russell, but had to do with the cooling of the Mercedes.

Vowles let it be known that it was a problem that affected the whole grid and not just Hamilton. In Australia it was a lot warmer on the Sunday than on the Saturday. This caused problems for Mercedes. The car had been tuned on Saturday, but needed much more cooling on Sunday, according to Vowles. "We push everything to the limit, as you would imagine, and one of those is engine cooling," says Vowles in a YouTube video of Mercedes.

On Saturday, Mercedes opted to change several louvres on the rear, but on Sunday it turned out to be two degrees hotter than predicted. After qualifying, nothing should be changed in the car's setup. "as a result of that ourselves and not just ourselves, you would have heard it from teams up and down the grid were right on the limit of what the engine and the PU can take in terms of cooling requirements," says Vowles.