Toto Wolff, the team principal of Mercedes, explains why they called Lewis Hamilton in for a pit stop twice during the Belgian Grand Prix. Hamilton expressed his dissatisfaction with this decision after the race. However, according to Wolff, the decision to call Hamilton in was indeed “the right thing to do”.
It was a notable moment after the Belgian Grand Prix: Hamilton expressed a slight criticism towards Mercedes. He questioned his team’s decision to call him in for a second pit stop. His teammate, Russell, stayed out longer and managed to finish the race on his hard tires. Although Russell was eventually disqualified, Hamilton was still upset after the race. According to the seven-time world champion, his tires were also good enough to continue racing.
Wolff Explains Mercedes’ Strategy
Wolff explains to Motorsport.com why Hamilton couldn’t stay out. “As a driver, you don’t have the full picture, because he said his tires were good. But at that time, no one was thinking about a one-stopper,” Wolff explains Mercedes’ choice. “We had to cover the cars behind, I think it was Piastri and Leclerc. All the others logically also made a second pit stop.”
Because the other teams weren’t thinking about a one-stopper, the strategy wasn’t on Mercedes’ radar either. “What we did with Lewis was absolutely the right thing to do. But in the end, George (the tires, ed.) survived. It was just not foreseeable. That would have been the case if all the other top teams had done it.”
Mercedes Considered Team Orders
During the final stages of the Belgian race, Hamilton was rapidly closing in on his teammate. The two Brits also crossed the finish line close together. Yet Mercedes decided not to have their two drivers swap positions. “Probably if we had had one more lap, we would have considered it,” Wolff admits. “Because then we would have protected P1 like that. George would have ended up as P3. But I’m glad we didn’t have to make this decision.”
