Hamilton loses afternoon running due to MGU-K failure - MotorSportsTalk

Lewis Hamilton remained upbeat despite losing his afternoon running due to an MGU-K failure on day one of the final test in Barcelona.

The Briton finished third in the timesheets after posting a very impressive lap time of 1:24.881 on the medium compound tire early in the morning session.

However, he was unable to get back out on track in the afternoon due to a problem with the Mercedes W06 Hybrid’s power unit, which was eventually diagnosed as being an MGU-K failure.

UPDATE: Failure in the Hybrid system keeping us in the garage currently. Crew working hard to fix it as we speak. #BackToWork #F1

— MERCEDES AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) February 26, 2015

That’s our day done. Problem diagnosed as MGUK failure. Crew working hard to make sure we’re back in business tomorrow. #BackToWork #F1

— MERCEDES AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) February 26, 2015

In spite of the issue, Hamilton remained upbeat following his half-day of running.

“Of course, we would have liked to have a few more laps today, especially as the sun came out later on,” the Briton said. “But sometimes you have those days. I don’t see it as too much of a negative. It’s good that you find these things, whatever issues you might have, and iron them out now. It means hopefully you won’t find them at the first race.

“Testing is always difficult. If you get the whole day in the car, the sun is out and the tires are working you can make more changes to learn where you want to put the car. Naturally, the more you drive the more you feel comfortable – but to be honest in the 50 laps I had today I felt ready to go.

“I had a positive feeling in the car and it was good to get the tyres working. I’ve got one more day to now hopefully have a clean run and really pinpoint where I want to put the car for the first race.”

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An IndyCar executive said there is “absolutely” disappointment that its long-awaited video game recently was delayed beyond its target date, but the series remains optimistic about the new title.

“Well, I don’t know how quick it will be, but the whole situation is important to us,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said during a news conference Monday morning to announce IndyCar’s NTT title sponsorship. “Motorsport Games has spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create an IndyCar title. What we’ve seen of that effort, which is not completely obvious, is very reassuring.

“I think it’s going to be outstanding. That’s our shared objective, that when it is released, it’s just widely accepted. A great credit both to IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, something that our fans love.”

In June 2021, IndyCar announced a new partnership with Motorsport Games to create and distribute an IndyCar video game for the PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2023.

But during an earnings call last week, Motorsport Games said the IndyCar game had been delayed to 2024 to ensure high quality.

Somewhat compounding the delay is that IndyCar’s license for iRacing expired after the end of the 2022 season because of its exclusive agreement with Motorsport Games.

That’s resulted in significant changes for IndyCar on iRacing, which had provided a high-profile way for the series to stay visible during its 2020 shutdown from the pandemic. (Players still can race an unbranded car but don’t race on current IndyCar tracks, nor can they stream).

That’s helped ratchet up the attention on having a video game outlet for IndyCar.

“I wish we had an IndyCar title 10 years ago,” said Miles, who has been working with the organization since 2013. “We’ve been close, but we’ve had these I think speed bumps.”

IndyCar is hopeful the Motorsports Game edition will be ready at the start of 2024. Miles hinted that beta versions could be unveiled to reporters ahead of the time “to begin to show the progress in a narrow way to make sure we’ve got it right, to test the progress so that we’re ready when they’re ready.”

It’s been nearly 18 years since the release of the most recent IndyCar video game for console or PC.

“(We) better get it right,” Miles said. “It’s something we’re very close to and continue to think about what it is to make sure we get it over the line in due course.”