Mercedes team member miraculously finds lost wedding ring after being thrown into Abu Dhabi marina

A diver with a metal detector and a sieve searched for an hour in Yas Marina on Tuesday before salvaging the ring on Wednesday

A Mercedes team member miraculously salvaged his lost wedding ring after being thrown into Yas Marina after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

As is often the case following the final race of the season, the team member was chucked into Yas Marina following Sunday’s grand prix.

However, disaster struck when he lost his wedding ring. He then employed the help of a diver – armed with a metal detector and a sieve – in an attempt to retrieve it.

A group of freelance reporters, present at the Yas Marina Circuit for the post-season tyre test, told the story on Twitter/X.

After an hour-long search on Tuesday night, which included issues with the metal detector, all that was found was a knife.

But on Wednesday morning, the diver Johann found the ring under 15cm of silt with a bigger metal detector after two hours of searching.

Mercedes finished the 2023 season on Sunday by claiming second in the constructors’ championship – but there was little to celebrate after their first winless season in 12 years.

Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, has now gone two years without winning a race.

“If we are able to give him [Lewis] a car, he will be fighting for a world championship,” said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.

“I have no doubt. But it is clear if you have a car like we have now, you are not at ease with it.

“Red Bull started the new regulations in 2022 with a massive advantage and they have been able to maintain it.

“We have a lot of respect for their achievements – from the engineering side, and the driver – and beating them under the current regulations is against the odds. Mount Everest is in front of us.”

The 2024 F1 season starts on March 2 with a Saturday night opening race, the Bahrain Grand Prix.