Lowe: We let Lewis down in a big way

As the Formula 1 circus sets up camp at Suzuka the big talking point remains Lewis Hamilton's victory denying engine blow out while he led the race comfortably, his team continue to investigate the issue and acknowledge that they let down the world champion.

Mercedes technical boss Paddy Lowe, "Malaysia was a bitter pill to swallow. We let Lewis down in a big way. We are continuing to investigate the issue with his engine and doing everything we can to ensure that it is first understood and then contained for the remainder of the season.

"As it stands, despite the failure of this engine, Lewis now has the same stock of Power Units as Nico for the remaining five races -- including used Power Units which he can fit for free practice sessions. So, hopefully there will be no further impact to his programme."

Despite the mishap, there will be no team orders as Nico Rosberg leads Hamilton by 23 points in the championship standing with five races remaining to be run.

Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff commented, "It's tough when these things come at a crucial point in a championship battle. It's a massive blow to his campaign. But the championship isn't over yet. There are still five faces to go. It will be tough of course, as Nico is driving better than ever before. He proved that in Singapore and then again with a great recovery in Malaysia."

"We will let them battle it out on track over the next five races - hopefully without any reliability woes - and then see where we are. One thing is for sure we are not going to talk any more about winning championships before it has happened. We will keep both feet on the ground and do the best we can in every area until the job is done," added Wolff.