Hungary: discord at Mercedes over Hamilton’s quick lap
At the Hungarian Grand Prix, Mercedes took the risky gamble of bringing in Lewis Hamilton 4 laps before the end of the race to put on new soft tires and set the fastest lap, earning an extra point in the championship for the English driver and his team in the process. A decision that goes against the initial plan of the Mercedes team and did not sit well with Toto Wolff.
If the race at the Hungaroring was a smooth ride for Lewis Hamilton, the sought-after fastest lap point by the drivers at the end of the race could have complicated things for the Briton. During the final laps of the race, his teammate Valtteri Bottas, on fresh tires, set the fastest lap record, giving ideas to the team of the reigning world champion to come into the pits for a new set of tires and swap all the lead built against Verstappen. At the pitstop, the tire change lasted more than 3 seconds, a first cold sweat for the mechanics. Upon exiting the pits, Hamilton came out into traffic, thus complicating the task of setting a fast lap, but still managed to set the best time on the final lap of the race.
If Hamilton approves the decision to go for the extra point, the perilous exercise will not have been to Toto Wolff’s liking, who talks about great confusion at the end of the race. According to the director of the Mercedes team, the entire staff agreed not to make an additional pit stop to go for the fastest lap point. In addition to going against the directive, Hamilton’s return was made on the 66th lap, whereas it would have been wiser to do so around the 60th lap to guard against any risk of a safety car deployment except that the gap with Verstappen was not fully secured at that point in the race.
Hamilton did very well, and the Briton fully accepts his risk-taking, stating that all the points of the season must be seized. “We evaluated the risk, and I did not push to the limit risking going off track. It was a controlled lap. When Valtteri set the fastest lap, I had enough of a lead to do it as well. I felt it was necessary for me to get that extra point,” said the six-time world champion. If the driver is so keen on this point, it is because he remembers the 2007 season when he lost the championship to Kimi Räikkönen by one point. “Listen, I have lost championships in the past by one point, so I know the importance of maximizing the result at every opportunity,” Hamilton recalled.
As a reminder, after the Hungarian round, Lewis Hamilton regained the lead of the championship and now has a 5-point lead over his teammate Valtteri Bottas and already 30 points ahead of Red Bull driver Max Verstappen.
Box. Box. Box. Box. Lewis dives in for a late switch to Softs.
The boys nail the stop and LH is off after that point for fastest lap! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/pDvdrNrDvq
— Mercedes-AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) July 19, 2020
