Lewis Hamilton’s car hampered him badly during today’s Chinese Grand Prix despite his recovery drive, according to Toto Wolff.
The Mercedes star started at the back of the grid and was hit by a loose Sauber, which caused damage to his front wing.
He eventually finished seventh, although he was clearly uncomfortable in the car.
"It was a good start," said Wolff.
"But then he became a victim of the tangle between the Ferraris, with the Sauber hitting him hard.
"The front wing got stuck under the floor, damaged the leading edge and we lost a huge amount of downforce through a couple of corners.
"It made the car very light at the front which gave him the feeling the car was even more damaged.
"We didn't see anything on visual inspection when the car stopped at pitstops, no data, so everything looked alright.
"But we were so much down on aero the car must have felt very difficult to drive, and as a consequence the tyres didn't last either which compromised the whole race."
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Lewis Hamilton’s car hampered him badly during today’s Chinese Grand Prix despite his recovery drive, according to Toto Wolff.
The Mercedes star started at the back of the grid and was hit by a loose Sauber, which caused damage to his front wing.
He eventually finished seventh, although he was clearly uncomfortable in the car.
"It was a good start," said Wolff.
"But then he became a victim of the tangle between the Ferraris, with the Sauber hitting him hard.
"The front wing got stuck under the floor, damaged the leading edge and we lost a huge amount of downforce through a couple of corners.
"It made the car very light at the front which gave him the feeling the car was even more damaged.
"We didn't see anything on visual inspection when the car stopped at pitstops, no data, so everything looked alright.
"But we were so much down on aero the car must have felt very difficult to drive, and as a consequence the tyres didn't last either which compromised the whole race."
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