Mercedes engineer explains why Lewis Hamilton conceded his position to Carlos Sainz in the Austrian GP opening lap

Mercedes engineer James Allison explained that Lewis Hamilton conceding his position for Carlos Sainz was better than waiting for the steward's decision. The incident occurred during the opening lap of the 2024 F1 Austrian GP.

Hamilton started the race in P5 with the Ferrari just ahead of him in P4. He was able to overtake Sainz on the first corner, however, he seemingly exceeded the track limits while doing so. While he kept the position for the initial laps, he was soon under investigation by the stewards.

At this moment, Mercedes asked Lewis Hamilton to let Carlos Sainz go ahead and take the position. This decision was a confusion among the fans as the team passed the orders before the stewards had ruled anything out. Technical director James Allison explained that letting him stay ahead was not worth the risk. He stated that a penalty given by the FIA would have affected their race more than just letting the Ferrari pass.

"You know in the back of your head that you get some a little bit more leniency from the stewards sometimes in the first corner of the first lap of a race," he said (at 0:36).

"But you can't rely on it and you know that the consequence is to you if you don't give the place back and the stewards rule against you is worse than just giving the place back, you get a ten second penalty and that's definitely worse than just allowing the place to be quietly returned in the opening laps of the race."

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Lewis Hamilton explains why he went wide battling with Carlos Sainz: "I had some damage"

Speaking to the media after the race, Lewis Hamilton revealed that he had some damage to the car on the opening lap attack while battling Carlos Sainz. He also stated that it was the reason he went wide on turn 1.

"I had some damage on the car, so, think we touched. I think Sainz and I touched I think. There's a mark on the side of the car, which is why I went wide."

Mercedes showed a considerable improvement in their performance compared to their pace earlier in the season. After Max Verstappen and Lando Norris put each other out of winning contention, George Russell was able to grab the victory. This marked his second F1 win and also Mercedes' first win since Brazil in 2022.

Both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were able to drive constantly throughout the length of the race, which helped them to gain the win and a P4 finish.