Hakkinen: 'Mercedes used that to get an advantage over Red Bull'
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Lewis Hamilton took his third win of the season this weekend, thanks in large part to Mercedes' strategy. Thanks to his team's two-stop strategy, Hamilton was able to overtake Max Verstappen in the final stages of the race.
Confidence in his team
Mercedes opted for an attacking strategy that wasn't entirely certain to work, but Hamilton trusted his team blindly. According to Mika Hakkinen, that is a key part of Mercedes' success. " Lewis Hamilton's 98th victory was due to the trust he put in his race strategists," the Finn writes in his column for Unibet.
"For some, it seemed like a mistake, but the strategists at Mercedes knew that the world champion had the pace to catch up and overtake the Red Bull Honda," Hakkinen continued. "Mercedes is way ahead in terms of strategy."
Mercedes the best team
According to Hakkinen, it is these moments that are typical of Mercedes and why Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas are currently driving for the best team in Formula One. "Not only is the car fast enough to compete with the very strong Red Bull, but the team is on top of their work with the strategy calls. Hamilton's and Verstappen's skills aside, it's Mercedes' planning that punishes their rivals."
Hamilton won three of the four races so far, Verstappen won one. In all the races, the other driver was always second. "If we look at the first four races, Mercedes has done a fantastic job of using strategy to gain an advantage over Red Bull. Max's mistakes have given Lewis opportunities."