The Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team broke curfew on Friday night at the Circuit of the Americas in order to change the fuel system on Lewis Hamilton’s W07 Hybrid car as a precaution.
The break of curfew was the first of the two allowed by any team during the season, and it saw some members of the team staying in the garage until around 4am, while another team came in at 6am to complete the job.
The curfew period started at 11pm local time at the Circuit of the Americas, but the decision to break it by the Mercedes team would not have come lightly, and the fuel system was replaced in order to possibly prevent a failure going forward.
Hamilton had finished fastest in the opening free practice session on Friday morning and third in the afternoon session as he continues to battle team-mate Nico Rosberg for the championship, although with four races of the season remaining, he sits thirty-three points behind the German.
Rosberg has won nine races in 2016 compared to just the six of Hamilton, with the Briton having not won since the German Grand Prix at the end of July.
