Mercedes boss Toto Wolff fears that Lewis Hamilton's back pain could have "consequences" for his participation in the Canadian GP.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff fears that Lewis Hamilton's back pain could have "consequences" for his participation in the Canadian GP.
According to Wolff, the scale of Hamilton's discomfort after the Azerbaijan GP showed that the problems suffered by his driver were beyond normal. He expressed some concern about this.
"He is really bad," Wolff said. "We need to find a solution. At this point, I think he is perhaps the most affected among all the drivers. But basically everyone, as far as I know, has said that something needs to happen."
When asked if he is worried that Hamilton's pain could prevent him from racing again next weekend in Canada, Wolff replied, "Yes, for sure.
"I didn't talk to him after the race, but you can see it's not muscular anymore. That probably affects the spine and may have some consequences."
Mercedes always has a reserve at the GPs - usually one of its drivers in Formula E, Stoffel Vandoorne or Nyck de Vries - and Wolff agreed that it makes sense to have someone ready should Hamilton face problems in Montreal.
"I don't think it's a problem just for Lewis," Wolff added. "He is probably the most affected, but in general it also affects George (Russell) and many others."
"The solution could be to have someone in reserve, which we have anyway at every race, in order to ensure that our cars can compete."