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This was Mercedes' plan not to let Verstappen win at Imola
- GPblog.com
Red Bull Racing took the initiative in the Emilia Grand Prix by bringing Max Verstappen in relatively early. Valtteri Bottas followed, allowing Lewis Hamilton to stay outside on the track longer from third place. The fact that Hamilton prolonged his first stint was immediately the plan. It was part of Mercedes' tactics.
Hamilton's strategy was ultimately (unexpectedly) the most rapid. "The meeting discussed what would happen if one of us ended up behind Verstappen," says Hamilton himself, quoted by Auto Motor und Sport.
Things are not going well for Bottas
If Hamilton had driven first and Bottas had been in third place, exactly the same tactic would have been applied. Precisely how Red Bull should be fought had been made clear beforehand. In this case, Bottas had the 'bad luck' that he was on P1. "Lewis was lucky that Verstappen forced me into that pit stop."
For the Finnish driver, it seemed for a long time not a victory, but only a third-place was the maximum achievable due to damage. "I wouldn't have been able to keep Max behind me anyway because of that."
However, thanks to the abandonment of the nine-time Grand Prix, Bottas still managed to take second place. The difference with Verstappen in the WC is now 35 points with only four Grands Prix to go.
On the mediums, Verstappen could immediately move up to second place at the start, behind Bottas. For Hamilton, it turned out to be difficult to attack in the first stint at the RB16 of the 23-year old Limburger. "I burned my front tyres behind Verstappen. I had to cool the tyres by holding back a bit," said the six-time world champion.