Hamilton had to fear bigger disappointment: 'They can’t see'

The seven-times world champion drove much of the race on the same intermediates and did not want to change tyres until his team brought him in in the closing stages. Hamilton was clearly unhappy with his team's decision but came out a day later with the statement that he stood by the decision.

"Once again teams were faced with a very difficult strategic decision," judged Brawn. "In these scenarios, you’re trusting your judgment, experience and feel. As we saw with Lewis, there was a fair bit of initial resistance from within the car about pitting. When these situations are not clear-cut and you get a push back from the driver, it’s easy for a team to back off what they feel was the right decision."

Responsibility with Mercedes

According to Brawn, it is difficult for the driver to make decisions on the track. "The driver is in a bubble. They need to give you information, but what they can’t see is all the data being fed to the pit wall. In Lewis’ case, if he didn’t box and the tyres had gone away or there had been a light rain shower, he would have tumbled down the order and that would have been a disaster."