Mercedes take blame for headrest incident

Lewis Hamilton stands in the paddock during a press conference at the Circuit de Catalunya on February 25, 2016
© AFP
Mercedes take the blame for the issue that cost Lewis Hamilton victory in Baku.

Mercedes have taken the blame for the issue that cost Lewis Hamilton victory in Baku.

Hamilton was forced to pit during the Azerbaijan race when the FIA spotted him physically holding his loose headrest in place at high speed with one hand.

The obvious conclusion was that, during the red flag stoppage, a Mercedes team member did not - in Dr Helmut Marko's words - "attach Hamilton's headrest properly".

However, Mercedes chief Toto Wolff said that there would be no blame game.

"This team has won three world championships and I will not point the finger at a single person," he said.

In the days since Baku, the Brackley-based team has looked into what went wrong.

Team chairman Niki Lauda told newspaper Osterreich: "The pins that attach the headrest did not click into the socket.

"This was worsened by the heavy load caused by the air at high speed. We will do a redesign so that this does not happen again.

"This should have been an easy win for us."

However, Lauda did say that he was happy for Red Bull to have won the race instead.

"I'm happy for them," he said. "It gives them the boost they need before the Austrian Grand Prix."

The championship continues in Spielberg on July 9.

Toto Wolff the Mercedes GP Executive Director looks on from the pitwall during day four of Formula One Winter Testing at the Circuito de Jerez on January 31, 2014
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1Mercedes250
2Ferrari226
3Red Bull137
4Force India79
5Williams-Mercedes37
6Toro Rosso33
7Haas21
8Renault18
9Sauber5
10McLaren2
DriversTeamPoints
1Sebastian VettelFerrari153
2Lewis HamiltonMercedes139
3Valtteri BottasMercedes111
4Daniel RicciardoRed Bull92
5Kimi RaikkonenFerrari73
6Max VerstappenRed Bull45
7Sergio PerezForce India44
8Esteban OconForce India35
9Carlos SainzToro Rosso29
10Felipe MassaWilliams-Mercedes20
11Nico HulkenbergRenault18
12Lance StrollWilliams-Mercedes17
13Kevin MagnussenHaas11
14Romain GrosjeanHaas10
15Pascal WehrleinSauber5
16Daniil KvyatToro Rosso4
17Fernando AlonsoMcLaren2
18Stoffel VandoorneMcLaren0
19Jolyon PalmerRenault0
20Marcus EricssonSauber0
21Antonio GiovinazziSauber0
22Jenson ButtonMcLaren0