Mercedes finally admits its mistake
Backpedaling for Mercedes! The team admits its mistake in leaving Hamilton alone on the grid for the second start.
While Toto Wolff had stated that leaving Lewis Hamilton alone on the grid for the second start was a good thing, Mercedes finally admits its mistake. In a debrief after the race, the technical director, Mike Elliot, confessed this poor choice and that Hamilton could have positioned himself in fifth or sixth place in the pitlane.
With hindsight, we made the wrong choice. You must keep in mind that these decisions are truly delicate.
On the second start, Hamilton stayed on intermediate tires on a drying track, while all the other drivers preferred to switch to slick tires. The British driver had to pit to find himself at the back after the third lap. Elliot provided some details on this surprising choice.
« We hesitated on the choice of tire after the red flag. The other teams changed their minds and we should have done the same. […] When you are the leading car, you cannot see what others are doing, whereas if you are further back in the pack, you can see what others have done. You can use these new elements to your advantage. »
Just like Toto Wolff, Elliot was afraid that his driver would lose positions, or even have a collision. A minor collision in the pit lane, which was very busy at that time, could have ruined the team’s plans, similar to Mazepin and his accident with Räikkönen.
« Our main rival was further behind and what we had to do was not to make a stupid mistake and end up crashing into another car. We would have been better off going to the pits, even if we had to wait at the back of the line.
Lewis Hamilton finished in second place, behind the Frenchman Esteban Ocon, while Max Verstappen only finished in ninth place.
