Mercedes has slammed as "unacceptable" the failure of Lewis Hamilton's Brembo brand brake disc during qualifying at Hockenheim.
The big crash in Q1, leaving the Briton winded and with bruised knees, further dents Hamilton's championship charge by leaving him well down the grid.
But he will almost certainly fall to the very back at Hockenheim, because Mercedes will need to revert to the maker of Nico Rosberg's brake discs - Carbon Industries - for safety reasons ahead of the German grand prix, and therefore fall foul of 'parc ferme' rules on Hamilton's Brembo-spec car.
"It is impossible to determine in such a short time why the disc has broken," said Toto Wolff.
It is believed Mercedes is arguing Hamilton's car should be exempt from the 'parce ferme' penalty because the change is being done on safety grounds.
In fact, Hockenheim was not Mercedes' first Brembo disc failure in 2014, as it emerges Rosberg had a similar problem in the Barcelona test.
Team chairman Niki Lauda is furious.
"Brembo promised to reinforce this material but that it now happens again, is unacceptable," he is quoted by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.
"We will not use these brakes in the race," Lauda confirmed.
That is a further blow to Hamilton, with both the Briton and his teammate Rosberg confirming they choose the brand of disc at grands prix based entirely on "feel".
As is fairly standard practice at Mercedes, the Brembo discs on Hamilton's car were changed between the end of Saturday morning practice and qualifying.
"This product (Brembo) is a little more aggressive, but that is no explanation or excuse for something like this to happen," said Wolff.
Auto Motor und Sport reports that other Brembo users in F1 have also had problems in 2014, including Toro Rosso, Sauber, Marussia and Caterham.
It is understood the Italian company has recently had to change one of the suppliers of its materials.
Ferrari, however, has reportedly had no problems in 2014, having stockpiled a supply of 2013-spec Brembo discs.
No matter the reasons, Hamilton has vowed to attack on Sunday, whilst also describing his crash as "another gift" to his title-leading teammate Rosberg.
"With the pace we have, with Nico on pole and he has no one in front of him, by the third or fourth lap he will be several seconds up the road," he said. (GMM)
Mercedes furious over Brembo brake failure
- Published on 20 Jul 2014 16:32
-
0
- By: Tom Brooks
.
Trending news
-
Nike reportedly working on F1 return after two decadesNike is exploring a return to Formula 1 after more than two decades away from the paddock, with early-stage talks cen...
01 Sep 2026 16:25 -
How Liam Lawson's Zandvoort drive may have rescued his F1 futureLiam Lawson may have salvaged his Formula 1 career with a composed performance at the Dutch Grand Prix, according to ...
01 Sep 2026 15:23 -
Sainz baffled by Verstappen's thoughts on early F1 retirementCarlos Sainz has expressed genuine confusion at Max Verstappen's repeated consideration of early retirement from ...
01 Sep 2026 14:21 -
Why Lando Norris' New McLaren Role Could Pressure PiastriLando Norris has signalled his intention to become McLaren's undisputed leader, citing growing influence over tea...
01 Sep 2026 13:20 -
Betting on the F1 season: reading the odds and building a race-day strategyFollowing an entire Formula 1 season means constantly reassessing the competitive order. A car that excels through Mo...
01 Sep 2026 14:23
Dutch Grand Prix
Local time
-
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Dutch Grand Prix
Local time
-
Friday
-
Saturday
-
Sunday
-
Friday
-
Saturday
-
Sunday
Test calendar
Circuit de Catalunya - Winter testing
-
Jan 26
I. Hadjar
- 1:18.159
-
-
-
Jan 27
M. Verstappen
- 1:19.578
-
-
-
Jan 28
A. Antonelli
- 1:17.362
-
-
-
Jan 29
G. Russell
- 1:16.445
-
-
-
Jan 30
L. Hamilton
- 1:16.348
-
-
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
-
Feb 11
L. Norris
- 1:34.669
-
-
-
Feb 12
C. Leclerc
- 1:34.273
-
-
-
Feb 13
A. Antonelli
- 1:33.669
-
-
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
-
Feb 18
G. Russell
- 1:33.459
-
-
Feb 19
A. Antonelli
- 1:32.803
-
-
Feb 20
C. Leclerc
- 1:31.992
-
-
World Championship standings 2026
Pos
Driver
Team
Points
Pos
Team
Points
Related news
Give your opinion!
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
-
Spain
-
Bahrain
-
Bahrain
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
-
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
-
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
-
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
6 - Mar 8
Australia
Albert Park
13 - Mar 15
27 - Mar 29
Japan
Circuit Suzuka
10 - Apr 12
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street Circuit
1 - May 3
United States of America
Miami International Autodrome
22 - May 24
Canada
Gilles Villeneuve
5 - Jun 7
Monaco
Monte Carlo
12 - Jun 14
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
26 - Jun 28
Austria
Red Bull Ring
3 - Jul 5
United Kingdom
Silverstone
17 - Jul 19
Belgium
Spa-Francorchamps
24 - Jul 26
Hungary
Hungaroring
21 - Aug 23
Netherlands
Circuit Zandvoort
4 - Sep 6
Italy
Monza
Driver profile
- Team Ferrari
- Points 3,724
- Podiums 137
- Grand Prix 245
- Country United Kingdom
- Date of b. Jan 7 1985 (41)
- Place of b. Tewin, United Kingdom
- Weight 68 kg
- Length 1.74 m
- 485,810 comments on Ferrari
67 members have this team as their favourite
Tweets about Lewis Hamilton
Team profile
- Team name Mercedes
- Base Brackley, Germany
- Michael Schumacher 3
- Nico Rosberg 4
- Nico Rosberg 6
- Michael Schumacher 7
- Nico Rosberg 8
- Nico Rosberg 8
- Nico Rosberg 9
- Lewis Hamilton 10
- Andrea Kimi Antonelli 12
- Lewis Hamilton 44
- George Russell 63
- Valtteri Bottas 77
- 639,400 comments on Mercedes
- 59 members have this team as their favourite
- Tweets about Mercedes
Replies (0)
Login to reply