How a 'magic button' sent Lewis Hamilton from first to next-to-last in a Formula 1 race

Lewis Hamilton made a small mistake that destroyed Mercedes' race.

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix — and a “magic button” — changed the complexion of the Formula 1 season.

With Red Bull and Mercedes jockeying for the top spot in the constructors’ standings, both teams needed every point they could get. And both teams squandered points in Sunday’s race on the Baku City Circuit, with Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas having an absolutely disastrous day.

Hamilton pressed the “magic button” during a race restart. That’s typical for Mercedes, which uses the button to help the car’s tires stay hot. The problem was that the driver had the “brake magic” on when the race started again. That led him to lock up as soon as he hit his brakes around his first turn. And — in a case of driver/user error — Hamilton went off the track. He corrected the mistake, but at that point, it was too late.

He finished 15th in the race, second to last among drivers who didn’t retire their cars. So let’s explain what exactly went wrong and what it means for Hamilton, Mercedes and F1.