Mercedes has laid down its strategy cards
In order to maximize Lewis Hamilton's chances of the title, Mercedes was forced to take responsibility and issue team orders to let Lewis Hamilton pass. A logical decision.
Since this summer, things have been clear at Mercedes: there is clearly a number 1 at Mercedes, and it is Lewis Hamilton. Already in Hungary, Toto Wolff, the team director, had stated that Valtteri Bottas was a perfect teammate but did not want to admit that he was in service to the Briton.
In Monza, the second episode in the Mercedes saga occurred when Mercedes strategists left Valtteri Bottas on track to keep him ahead of Kimi Räikkönen and thus facilitate the comeback. Having destroyed his tires by following his compatriot, the Finnish Ferrari driver could do nothing when Lewis Hamilton launched an attack.
But in Russia, the pit wall was forced to resort to the highest level of strategy by ordering driver No. 77 to let his teammate pass. However, the team leaders officially hide behind a murky story of blistering on the Briton’s tires, who fell victim to a poor team strategy that brought him out of the pits behind his title rival.
However, the Finn chose not to remain silent in the final laps, asking his team what was planned for the finish while the team’s one-two was secured. It was then decided to freeze the positions and not make another position swap.
Proving the discomfort within the team towards the Finnish driver, Lewis Hamilton made sure not to particularly celebrate this victory, having him join on the top step of the podium and even offering to exchange their trophies. He implicitly acknowledged that this 70th victory wasn’t the most deserved: « Actually, it was a somewhat difficult day. Valtteri was a real gentleman to let me pass. Normally when we secure a one-two, we are delighted. Valtteri deserved to win but today it was real teamwork. »
The expression of the Finn on the podium was more expressive than a thousand words.
If we can estimate that such a decision does not enhance the sport, it is nevertheless logical. Indeed, the performance gap between Mercedes and Ferrari has significantly narrowed this season. If Lewis Hamilton has a 50-point lead tonight with five races to go, it’s mainly due to the numerous mistakes by Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari. Mercedes does not want to take any risks: if by the evening of Abu Dhabi, Lewis Hamilton were to lose the title by five points, everyone would inevitably point to the Sochi race.
In this context, we understand why Mercedes chose to retain the driver rather than taking a chance on youth with Esteban Ocon.
