SM
Wolves vs. Forest: 22 hrs 59 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

Mercedes blasts anti-Lewis Hamilton conspiracy

:Headline: Mercedes blasts anti-Lewis Hamilton conspiracy: ID:271783: from db_amp
Mercedes rubbish suggestions Lewis Hamilton's horror run of bad luck so far in 2016 may be a conspiracy.

Mercedes have rubbished suggestions that Lewis Hamilton's horror run of bad luck so far in 2016 may be a conspiracy.

As Nico Rosberg turned his six-race winning streak into an almost unprecedented seven at Sochi, some wondered if reigning champion Hamilton's continuing reliability problems have been more than just bad luck.

"This [suggestion] is bullshit," team chairman Niki Lauda told Sky Sports News, after Hamilton had to start the race 10th following an engine problem identical to the one in China two weeks ago.

Team boss Toto Wolff said that heads are being scratched.

"We have eight engines in circulation, thousands of test kilometres have been driven, but this defect has occurred only twice and always in the same car," he told Auto Motor und Sport.

It is believed that Mercedes is not ruling out a chassis problem that is causing the glitch, but the conspiracy theorists suggest that Hamilton's in-race water leak just as he was catching Rosberg is a further sign of a deliberate plot.

Wolff calls those sorts of people "lunatics".

"The last thing we would do is sabotage Hamilton - he's a great friend to us and we are letting him down," he said.

Indeed, Mercedes demonstrated its valiant efforts to minimise the damage to Hamilton's weekend in Russia after qualifying.

A crucial part - preventing a grid penalty - was flown to Russia overnight aboard a specially chartered jet. The team then enlisted the help of Bernie Ecclestone to ensure that it cleared customs and arrived at the track at 2am.

Further fuel for the conspiracy theorists, however, is that Hamilton's car is this year being serviced by mechanics who formerly worked on Rosberg's side of the garage.

"All of a sudden we swapped for no apparent reason," a downbeat Hamilton recalled on Sunday.

"But that's not the reason we're having these issues. Don't jump the gun," the triple world champion, now 43 points down in the championship, added.

"[Favouritism] has not happened in the last three years and I have no reason to think it's happening now."

Lauda also hit back at the conspiracy theories.

"I hate this talk because we have 1,100 people all trying their best for both cars. These are simple, human mistakes," he said.

The season continues with the Spanish Grand Prix in two weeks' time.

amp_article__271783 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2016-05-02 07:15:10:
html db last update - 2016-05-02 07:15:10 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Lewis Hamilton

Click here for more stories about Mercedes

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool19144147192846
2Arsenal20117239182140
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest1911442619737
4Chelsea20106439241536
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle20105534221235
6Manchester CityMan City2010463627934
7Bournemouth209653023733
8Aston Villa209563032-232
9Fulham207943027330
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2061043029128
11Brentford208393835327
12Tottenham HotspurSpurs20731042301224
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd206592328-523
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham206592439-1523
15Crystal Palace204972128-721
16Everton193881525-1017
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1944113142-1116
18Ipswich TownIpswich2037102035-1516
19Leicester CityLeicester2035122344-2114
20Southampton2013161244-326
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .