Lewis Hamilton will talk to his Mercedes team on Tuesday in an attempt to understand what went wrong with his start at the Italian Grand Prix.
Poor starts blighted Hamilton earlier in the season – specifically in Melbourne, Bahrain and Canada – and helped his team-mate Nico Rosberg win the first four races to build up a 43-point lead.
Hamilton qualified on pole at Monza but five cars streaked past him, including Rosberg, who went on to win and slash the British driver’s lead at the top of the championship to two points. The British driver and Mercedes were anxious not to blame each other but Sunday’s race represented the end of the European campaign and with only seven races remaining, the sharp end of the season is approaching.
“I can assure you we’ll be talking about it at the factory,” Hamilton said. “We’ll try to get as much information, and learn as much as we can, to try and make sure in the remaining seven races we’re not struggling getting off the line from pole positions. They’ll be working very hard – it’s not a quick fix so it’s not something we can change for the next race.”
F1 is preparing to confront the challenges posed by the mosquito-borne Zika virus in the next two races in Singapore (18 September) and Malaysia (2 October). There are also concerns over other venues – Texas, Mexico and Brazil. The other remaining races of the 2016 calendar are in Japan and Abu Dhabi.
Eric Boullier, the racing director at McLaren, told Reuters: “We are supplying anti-mosquito products and long-sleeved outfits and we have sent a brief to everybody about how to take care and all the why, what and how about it.”
Dave Ryan said his Manor team were taking the normal precautions. “We’ve briefed all the guys, we’re offering them the option of wearing long-sleeved garments and obviously supplying them with the right protection … and just making them as informed as they possibly can be. And it’s fine. We’re comfortable with it.”
According to reports, up to 1 September, 151 people had contracted the Zika virus in Singapore. The grand prix at the Marina Bay street circuit there is held in the evening in extreme heat.
“I’ll need to keep the overalls on, then,” said the Williams driver Valtteri Bottas. “I’m still going, that’s for sure.”
