Hamilton: “Not our best strategy”

The Dutch Grand Prix saw Max Verstappen take back the lead of the championship by three points ahead of Lewis Hamilton. During the race, the two drivers engaged in a strategic battle. Mercedes was the first to ask its driver to pit before Verstappen in an attempt to undercut.

Finally, it was Red Bull who won this battle. Hamilton’s two pit stops didn’t work out, and Verstappen’s car was more competitive for the Briton to catch up with him. The Mercedes driver has questioned his team’s strategy and believes it was not the best to compete with his rival.

« I really think that it was not our best strategy, but it was really difficult out there. At the end of the day, they were just too fast. We stopped too early in this second part and it was just as I came out behind the traffic. So I couldn’t implement the plan and I don’t know how the team didn’t see it. »

Pressure or not, this mistake is costly for Mercedes. While the German team thought they were doing the right thing by bringing Hamilton into the pits before Verstappen, the seven-time world champion ended up in traffic, losing precious seconds. The Dutchman was able to change his tires right after. As Hamilton exited the pits, he had just finished the final corner.

However, the hard tires were not necessarily the right solution for Red Bull. The Ferraris, who had opted for this choice, were not fast during the race. Hamilton, for several laps, was closing in on his rival to less than two seconds. But the British driver admits, however, that his rival was faster. Despite his complaints on the radio that his tires were degrading, Hamilton had the pace to compete with Verstappen. In trying to catch up with him, he quickly wore out his yellow tires.

« The tires were actually pretty good this weekend. I was pushing flat out the entire race. There was no tire management, I was just trying to stay as close as possible, but I could see that he [Verstappen] was faster today. Red Bull and him were on another level. »

Even though Hamilton did not win the race, the Mercedes team remains in first place in the constructors’ standings with a lead of 12 points. The season is still long and we should see this kind of remote duel again.