Second pit stop in Mexico definitely not necessary – Hamilton

81 comments on “Second pit stop in Mexico definitely not necessary – Hamilton”

1. 

   Stig Semper Fi (@stigsemperfi)
   13th November 2015, 0:05

   I’m slightly confused about this. Where was Maldonado at the time of Hamilton’s accident?
   1. 

      Todfod (@todfod)
      13th November 2015, 5:34

      In the stationary car
2. 

   SoLiDG (@solidg)
   13th November 2015, 0:13

   However, Sportsmail has learned he crashed his Zonda in the early hours of Tuesday not Monday night

   WOW, is that some reporting!
   For a human when you didn’t sleep.. 3:30 Tuesday morning is monday night!
   Sure officially it isn’t.. but you call it monday night. What a non story :)
   1. 

      RaceProUK (@)
      13th November 2015, 1:31

      It’s the Daily Mail; to them, accuracy is entirely optional.
      1. 

         markp
         13th November 2015, 9:55

         Don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story.
3. 

   Brian Kneis (@clustr1)
   13th November 2015, 0:13

   Modern F1… a driver wants to push to the limit, the engineers advise not to, the driver listens… how thrilling.
   1. 

      Shashank
      13th November 2015, 5:49

      Well, to be fair, he didn’t initially listen when “advised” to pit, he eventually pitted when “ordered” to do so.

      That said, my respect for Hamilton as a balls-out racer would have multiplied 10-fold if he had just ignored the pit wall’s “order” and continued pounding around. Both championships have been sealed; even if the tyres did explode (Mercedes’ thinking, not one which I necessarily agree with), the difference it would have made would be the square root of jack (I think someone pointed out that teams have to shell out more $$$ per point earned, so if that had happened, he might just have saved Mercedes some dough ;) ). Moreover, with the safety car being deployed just a few laps later, he could have then even gone onto the options and possibly jumped Rosberg.

      All is would-have – could-have – should-have now, just wish that things would have panned out differently.
      1. 

         PorscheF1 (@xtwl)
         13th November 2015, 6:51

         He pitted when his engineer used the ‘safety’ card, load of nonsense.
      2. 

         BasCB (@bascb)
         13th November 2015, 7:40

         And you think that would have worked for the relationship in the team? Them getting Rosberg to pit, keeping Hamilton out to hand him victory without even trying. If that is not rigging the race, I don’t know what is
         1. 

            Shashank
            13th November 2015, 10:16

            It wouldn’t have been “rigging the race” in the strict sense; Mercedes would have radio chatter to prove that they did try their best to enforce identical strategies (but Hamilton took it upon himself to ignore the call). If Nico wouldn’t believe that and did something similar at a race in the future, that’s again great for racing and the show in general.

            How would that have worked for the relationship in the team? The same way as it did in Monaco 2015. There’d be a fair bit of yelling from both sides in the immediate aftermath, but eventually, it won’t matter. Just ruthless conduct in the pursuit of victory at all costs.
            1. 

               Tomas Andersson (@celebmir)
               14th November 2015, 5:03

               Almost in all interviews with all the drivers on the grid it’s talk about the team. Even when they ask things like -“What did you…” They answe -“We thought that…” emphasizing that even behind the wheel it is the team that…

               In a way I respect and applaud that because the driver wouldn’t even be able to start the car without the team. It really is a team sport.

               What Lewis is crying about is that he was robbed of the chance of fighting for the win to the flag and we the spectators were robbed of that fight.
               But I do agree with Mercedes in this case, they minimized the risk of getting a one-two. They had time in hand to ensure a one-two finish without drama. The risk of getting no points in the race would have increased for every lap until the end. Lewis is looking at statistics and want bigger, better numbers to make him a legend and given the chance he would have jeopardized a finish for a win. He is a racer.
               Mercedes was really clever to pit Nico first and then Lewis and make sure they get a safe trip to the flag.

               As a team they did great and in this.
      3. 

         pSynrg (@psynrg)
         13th November 2015, 8:09

         …and I’m guessing you would be first in line to ridicule Hamilton had his tyres, at best, fallen off the cliff or, at worst, let go on him…
         1. 

            Shashank
            13th November 2015, 10:25

            Sure I might have (most likely not though, I’m a pretty big fan) – if he had stayed out, and things had turned out badly, he would have been 100% responsible for it. Is that in dispute? Also, as I said, the worst case was a DNF, which has no impact whatsoever anymore as far as the championship is concerned.

            By staying out, there was a decent chance that he’d win. By pitting, based on evidence from previous stints, it was virtually guaranteed that he’d stay second. I preferred the former scenario. And the post-race excitement (regardless of the outcome) that it would have come gift-wrapped with :).
      4. 

         PorscheF1 (@xtwl)
         13th November 2015, 8:52

         @bascb Well, Rosberg could have said the same, no? Either way I agree it was in the best interest of the team to get Hamilton back behind Rosberg through a ‘fair’ pitstop.
         1. 

            BasCB (@bascb)
            13th November 2015, 9:35

            yeah, well we don’t know whether he didn’t really, do we? We only know that he was not too happy about it either, but have not heard the radio on it @xtwl.

            In Rosbergs place, imagine the team calling you in, you maybe also asking whether its needed (beeing in a good groove, feeling the tyres be fine and having a solid lead), and then they let Hamilton take the win like that? I don’t think the team management would get out of that one lightly. I don’t think Hamilton would come out of that one unhurt either, personally
         2. 

            PorscheF1 (@xtwl)
            13th November 2015, 10:27

            @bascb I agree but we should look at it from Hamilton his side, not Rosberg his side or the team’s. Yes, Rosberg would be unhappy but he would have been given all the same opportunities as Hamilton. Sure, Rosberg would be mad at the team but why? Is a driver not given any influence on strategy when the one he is on doesn’t seem to be most optimal one? If I was Hamilton, and I felt it was possible I would have given it a shot, of course knowing the worst would still be P2 (he would have over 40s over P3), and a win suddenly was all the more possible. That is of course without the knowledge of a SC following closely after.
            1. 

               BasCB (@bascb)
               13th November 2015, 10:37

               I think Hamilton is smarter than that @xtwl and that is why in the end he came in. Because he knows that the team couldn’t just have him do that and work fine afterwards for another couple of years.
            2. 

               PorscheF1 (@xtwl)
               13th November 2015, 10:40

               @bascb I doubt that. It’s not like Spa 2014 or Monaco 2015 spring up every single race weekend… the time they had to like each other is already long past. They both want to win and when you’re not faster on the day, why not try to be smarter…
            3. 

               BasCB (@bascb)
               13th November 2015, 11:04

               Well, yeah @xtwl. But Monaco 2015 was Hamilton and his side of the garage messing up together. Spa 2014 was Rosberg taking the fight over the limits the team felt fine, he got a very clear signal that it was not ok, but this was still in a real fight for the championship.

               I think Hamilton perfectly understood that ignoring the instruction from his team now would have some kind of backlash. Afterall it was not as if there was anthing at stake apart from deciding who of the two Mercedes guys would win, it was just about beating the other guy.
            4. 

               petebaldwin (@)
               13th November 2015, 11:54

               @xtwl – Problem is that it was a direct order from the team. He refused to put and was ordered in. He could have refused that as well but he wouldn’t have the team backing him afterwards. Even less so if a tyre blew up and he was out.

               On the other hand, I wouldn’t have blamed him if he had stayed out. If Mercedes were going to artificially control the race as they did, they should have made Lewis aware of the plan before. He could have then said I’m not pitting giving Rosberg the option to pit or stay out. As they did it, they pitted Rosberg before asking Lewis which meant he couldn’t stay out.
   2. 

      Euro Brun (@eurobrun)
      13th November 2015, 7:16

      Would have been great if the first words from the police had been:
      “Who do you think you are, Lewis Hamilton?”
      1. 

         markp
         13th November 2015, 9:59

         Being Monaco the most successful driver there was Senna so they may have asked ‘who do you think you are Ayrton Senna?’ to which Hamilton would have replied ‘No but I am carrying his baton.’
         1. 

            Mike
            13th November 2015, 11:34

            By crashing into parked cars?
4. 

   Formula1 (@s2g-unit)
   13th November 2015, 0:42

   Before this weekend even starts off tomorrow morning, I just wanted to say that Brazil has the atmosphere and history, that should make it the last race of the season EVERY season. Abu Dhabi is the worst possible place for a climatic final race. No atmosphere, no history, horrible layout.

   I know the response is that Abu Dhabi holds testing after the race. Fine, that doesn’t mean it has to be the last race of the season.
   1. 

      Philip (@philipgb)
      13th November 2015, 1:02

      I think the reason is they pay a premium to be the season finale.
   2. 

      Fudge Ahmed (@)
      13th November 2015, 1:36

      I disagree with the no atmosphere comment as I have been for the last 3 years due to living in Dubai. It’s not full of hardcore motor racing fanatics sure but the region is peppered with car launches and build up and everybody there goes all out, it’s the highlight of the year without a doubt.

      Also there are many many attractive females… which is nice.
      1. 

         Fudge Ahmed (@)
         13th November 2015, 1:37

         Event highlight of the year in the UAE that is, NOT the highlight of the F1 season I might clarify.
         1. 

            PorscheF1 (@xtwl)
            13th November 2015, 6:56

            @offdutyrockstar I’m from Belgium and flying in for the race. Staying few days after. This will be my first non-classic track.
   3. 

      PorscheF1 (@xtwl)
      13th November 2015, 6:53

      No atmosphere, no history, horrible layout.

      @s2g-unit Atmosphere is great though. What history can it have after 5 years? Lay-out is indeed not liked by many F1Fanatics. As an event it’s a rather cool place to be. Though I agree Interlagos is probably better.
      1. 

         markp
         13th November 2015, 10:53

         Monza, Spa, Silverstone had no history in the 1920’s, to mark a track down for history means we will only ever have the same tracks for eternity.
   4. 

      Unicron (@unicron2002)
      13th November 2015, 9:45

      Without talking Abu Dhabi down, I want to talk Interlagos UP! Yes I agree that I’d love to see it as the finale, it’s the pinnacle of the circuits in the back end of year. Once you reach the pinnacle you have to climb back down which not quite as good a way to finish the F1 season. Sao Paulo, Mexico City, Montreal, Austin – the Americas love F1, we need more races there, bring it!
   5. 

      markp
      13th November 2015, 10:02

      They have so much money they could change the track to anything they want and fly in a load of Europeans for free to fill the stands then ply them with free alchol for atmosphere.
      1. 

         Formula1 (@s2g-unit)
         13th November 2015, 16:19

         Obviously, they have the money.

         They can’t buy the same Brazilian fans nor can they give us variable weather. Abu Dhabi is the WORST final race of the season in my opinion. How can people not understand how much better Brazil is for a finale. Oh well.

         Oh yeah, these power units (hate that word) are great and we need to “get used” to them too!
5. 

   Philip (@philipgb)
   13th November 2015, 1:01

   It’s good to see how much Hamilton has grown in the last 4 years taking responsibility for his mistake. Could you imagine how the Hamilton from 2011 might have responded to the authorities if he’d been questioned for a bump in Monaco?
   1. 

      markp
      13th November 2015, 10:03

      Yeah he would have posted a picture of his police ticket on social media.
   2. 

      caci99
      13th November 2015, 12:11

      Yep, he is really grown up. Smashes a stationary car, hands up, it was me.
      1. 

         Robbie (@robbie)
         13th November 2015, 13:14

         Wonder if Kimi was in the current stationary car too?
6. 

   David-A (@david-a)
   13th November 2015, 1:34

   I wonder if there’s any chance the Mercedes pair will use a 5th engine by the end of the season?
   1. 

      toiago (@toiago)
      13th November 2015, 1:53

      The only reason they’d use another engine would be to test new ideas for next year, I guess. The new engine upgrade however already had new elements for next year as well, so I’d say it’s unlikely.
   2. 

      Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
      13th November 2015, 7:52

      Only if they have any engine tokens spare and want to use them for Abu Dhabi.
      1. 

         ColdFly F1 (@)
         13th November 2015, 11:29

         Merc used their 7 remaining 2015 tokens in Monza! @david-a, @craig-o

         (confirmed by them on 3 Sep via Twitter)
7. 

   EF1
   13th November 2015, 2:15

   Still with the ‘tire stop’ saga. Its like he (Hamilton) is just playing it up for the more mentally challenged of his fans that don’t understand Nico could have gone to the end on his set of tyres too, and it was a Mercedes safety call as they didn’t want to risk and Spa like issues with tyre life when they were over a pitstop in front with both cars, so they pitted them both as that is the fair thing to do. So lame that he keeps carrying on about it, its getting that bad its either conscious mis-information or just complete stupidity on display.
   1. 

      Sonics (@sonicslv)
      13th November 2015, 3:03

      That’s what actually he trying to explain. The stop is for the best team interest and not because there’s a hidden agenda for a particular driver. Oh wait, you didn’t actually read the article aren’t you?
   2. 

      PorscheF1 (@xtwl)
      13th November 2015, 6:58

      Hamilton could have won the race had he stayed out. That’s of course without knowing there would have been a SC.
      1. 

         pH
         13th November 2015, 7:48

         Hamilton could have won the race had he stayed out.

         Actually, no. If Hamilton had stayed out, then Rosberg would have stayed out as well (both were ordered to, so if you do not order one, it is only fair not to order the other one as well).
      2. 

         ColdFly F1 (@)
         13th November 2015, 8:11

         Rosberg would have won the race had he stayed out. That’s of course the same knowing there would have been a SC.

         (as LH said in the article no driver was (dis)advantaged in this case. No story here!)
      3. 

         PorscheF1 (@xtwl)
         13th November 2015, 9:30

         pH, @coldfly – How can Rosberg stay out if he had already pitted when the discussion rose over pit radio??? Rosberg had no idea Hamilton potentially wanted to stay out.

         I’m not saying Hamilton would have won but the gap would have been big enough I think to possibly make it work. Again, at this point nobody knew there was going to be a SC. The SC of course would have made the entire thing a lot harder.
         1. 

            ColdFly F1 (@)
            13th November 2015, 11:22

            @xtwl. My point being (similar to what Hamilton says): there is no story!

            The team decided to pit both and keep strategies equal. They could do so because the gap to #3 was big enough. End of (no) story.

            PS – do we know what discussion Rosberg had when he was told to pit (I have not heard it). Possibly he screamed just as loud knowing that his tyres were still good, and only agreed to pit when the team told him that the strategy would be the same for both.
         2. 

            Jayd
            13th November 2015, 18:13

            Has everyone forgotten the actual gaps and laps. It was 18sec would have been no less than 13sec at the time of safety car (thats being generous to Nico as his tires would of slowed quickly as he caught up) Hamilton would have pit and if Nico had also pit them ham would come out in front of Nico. If he didn’t pit then ham could of come out in front or behind on 8laps fresher option or prime tires. (this being the case if he ignored orders) so I don’t understand everyone saying the safety car would of messed Hamilton up.
   3. 

      BasCB (@bascb)
      13th November 2015, 7:36

      Well, in the article Hamilton tells it pretty much how it is: At that time he was convinced his tyres would last, so he thought he had an advantage on his teammate who pitted, and wanted to take advantage of it.

      But after the race Mercedes made it clear to him that it was more of a “lets stop just to be safe in case anything happens when we have the gap” and that it was the same for both cars. And he says that he understands their thinking and has nothing agains that. Just he did not know/understand that during the race.
   4. 

      Formula1 (@s2g-unit)
      13th November 2015, 16:21

      It’s simple, Mercedes needs to have separate strategists for each driver. None of this copy cat, follow same strategy nonsense.
8. 

   Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
   13th November 2015, 7:54

   Hamilton seems to he forgetting that his team mate’s second stop was just as important as his. Rosberg beat him fair and square on the same strategy. He needs to get over that.
   1. 

      John H (@john-h)
      13th November 2015, 8:24

      The problem is that the team lied to him with the ‘down to the canvas’ rubbish. There was no need for that. Really, they should agree all together as a team before the race what should happen in this situation and then be honest with the drivers. There’s no need for this lying to your own drivers.
      1. 

         PorscheF1 (@xtwl)
         13th November 2015, 9:32

         @john-h And it undermines the entire strategy battle between the two drivers. It’s a real shame they want to force them on the same strategy all the time, certainly now there is no title to be decided or lost, just races to be won.
         1. 

            ram
            13th November 2015, 15:15

            You Sir hit the nail on the head. Forcing them to always use the same strategy has Robbed us of Actual Racing.All season!
      2. 

         Egorov (@egorov)
         13th November 2015, 10:24

         @john-h It will be interesting to hear what the team told Rosberg and what Rosberg replied
      3. 

         ColdFly F1 (@)
         13th November 2015, 11:37

         The problem is that the team lied to him with the ‘down to the canvas’ rubbish.

         This was about the 1st (option) set!

         Bono first said “we are down to the canvas” (without saying about which set he was talking.
         Followed by “Lewis we were down to zero on the first set.” and predicting (how can that be a lie?) “If we go longer on this set, we will be down to zero if not worse.”
   2. 

      Woody (@woodyd91)
      13th November 2015, 9:47

      @craig-o You have to understand Hamilton’s thinking here, he is sitting there knowing his tyres are fine and will make it to end of the race, he gets the call to pit again after Rosberg, he knows he doesn’t need to. Was Rosberg using his tyres more and that’s why he had to pit again and thus forcing Hamilton to pit again, you have to think given Rosberg’s mood before the race and his desire for “talks” then the team making that call to ensure Rosberg wouldn’t need to pass Hamilton on track is interesting one, I’m not going to criticise a driver for questioning the machines on the pit wall, especially when it’s turns out they were proved right with their call that there tyres would be fine.

      Drivers get hounded on for not using their own mind and just following team instructions, but then as soon as a driver, Hamilton in particular challenges the team then select groups of people on the internet become enraged that a driver has the audacity to question the team.
   3. 

      Charles King (@charleski)
      13th November 2015, 9:48

      @craig-o: From the article:

      I know the team make decisions for the right reasons, and that’s the way it will continue to be.
      Nico did a really good job to win that race

      What, exactly, do you think Lewis needs to ‘get over’?
      1. 

         markp
         13th November 2015, 10:08

         He should be grateful to Mercedes and not question them he needs them to win titles they do not need him to win titles. If he was replaced at Merc with any driver on the grid Merc would still win both titles and Rosberg would win the title against most drivers. He should just accept it, over a season his teammate is not much of a threat and he only has to beat his teammate for more titles.
         1. 

            RaceProUK (@)
            14th November 2015, 20:09

            So you want robots driving the cars?
      2. 

         Rockie
         13th November 2015, 10:20

         The misleading information and concerted effort to intentionally make people think he had a chance to win the race.
         He was beaten fair and square by Rosberg, and wasn’t a match in that race.
         1. 

            Charles King (@charleski)
            13th November 2015, 12:44

            Here’s a thought, try reading what Lewis actually wrote instead of making something up to suit your narrative. Immediately after the race he said, “Nico drove fantastically well … I did everything I could.” Do you really think that’s misleading? /rolleyes
            1. 

               Robbie (@robbie)
               13th November 2015, 13:39

               For me it is just that he has to keep going on about it…the team made the wrong call, but they were right, but I was right. How does LH really know how good his tires would have been by the end? If he’s that good should he be making all his own calls?

               For me, if he genuinely believes the team made the right team call, he should just leave it at that, and should not have continued on about what he now knows about his tires and how he was right…in hindsight. If the team made the right call then THEY were right…end of. He has to keep letting the world know he coulda, woulda, shoulda won the race.

               If he doesn’t win Brazil I’m sure it will not be because he got beat, but it will be because of his partying for the last month, and his fever, and his crash.
9. 

   Strontium (@strontium)
   13th November 2015, 11:15

   Why on earth are people, and Hamilton, still going on about this flipping pit stop! It simply didn’t matter, had absolutely no effect on the outcome, and more importantly, why is there only a big deal about Hamilton (or Hamilton making a big deal) when Rosberg had to do exactly the same thing!
   1. 

      Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
      13th November 2015, 11:29

      @strontium Because Rosberg didn’t tell the team their strategy was wrong. Hamilton did, and it appears that view has been vindicated.
      1. 

         Rockie
         13th November 2015, 12:12

         @keithcollantine
         For an F1 journo what you have just said beggers belief.
         We have seen redbull do this so many times when they have a free pitstop.
         1. 

            RaceProUK (@)
            14th November 2015, 20:11

            Summarising an article is a bad thing now?
      2. 

         ColdFly F1 (@)
         13th November 2015, 12:22

         Because Rosberg didn’t tell the team their strategy was wrong.

         how do we know? @keithcollantine
      3. 

         Strontium (@strontium)
         13th November 2015, 18:32

         @keithcollantine Over the many recent years of Formula One, teams have got strategies wrong every race. Pitting a car into traffic, changing to the wrong tyre for the wrong stint, not pitting at a safety car, leaving it too late to pit. That is a wrong strategy. And when this happens, normally drivers accept that it’s a bad call on strategy, and they move on.

         It wasn’t a necessary strategy, but there was absolutely nothing wrong with it, at least to the point where it requires a driver publicly saying it and complaining for two weeks.

         This ‘wrong strategy’ should be no different from any other incorrect strategic decision. Left in the past, doesn’t matter anymore.
   2. 

      DB-C90 (@dbradock)
      13th November 2015, 13:13

      We can only hope that next year we don’t have these situations where one manufacturers car is so superior that they actually have the time to make an extra pit stop without losing (or risking) position on track.

      Then we wouldn’t see this scenario at all.
   3. 

      lockup (@)
      13th November 2015, 13:46

      Why on earth are people, and Hamilton, still going on about this flipping pit stop!

      People keep asking and posting about it @strontium ;)

      Mostly with the aim of misrepresenting it, apparently.
   4. 

      Ian Bond (@ianbond001)
      13th November 2015, 14:06

      Lewis is absolutely right.
      Right because we all know the tires would have been good to the end even without the safety car. And Nico was in the same situation; he could have easily finished on those tires, and from what we saw in the race this time he had the pace to keep Lewis behind.
      I like his attitude (PR written or not) saying he understood that it was the best thing for the team since they had a free pit stop in hand for both cars.
      If drivers are going to go against team orders they should do it on the track not in the media afterwards.

      I’m sure all drivers think they can go much faster in a race than they actually can and Lewis is no exception; in Spain he was some 20 sec behind Nico and he was thinking he can catch him in 12 laps, in Singapore he “had the pace to win”, in Mexico i assume he thought without a pit stop for neither of them he hoped his tires would last better and he could catch and overtake Nico. That attitude is very welcome during the race and it’s what we all expect from them. But 10 days after the race he should have a cooler head understand the real situation and don’t go after the team. Which it’s exactly the picture the article paints.

      This Lewis I would support as a fan. But in the last 3 years Seb kind’of grew on me; and now he’s in red.
      1. 

         Strontium (@strontium)
         13th November 2015, 18:35

         This is exactly my point. Hamilton may be right in saying it wasn’t necessary to pit, but it isn’t a big deal worth worrying about for so long.
10. 

    Atticus (@atticus-2)
    13th November 2015, 11:37

    Oh, so Lewis actually crashed in the Loews Hairpin. Few F1 drivers crash there some 6-7 months after the GP (even if they live in the city), lol.
11. 

    Nase (@)
    13th November 2015, 13:58

    Is there no-one to tell Lewis to shut up? Yeah, that second pit stop wasn’t strictly necessary in terms of tyre wear. Okay, we get it. Regardless, the team decided to pit both their drivers, because they thought there was a small risk of tyre failure, and Kvyat was so far behind that they had absolutely nothing to lose with another pit stop.
    Both Merc drivers were in exactly the same situation, confortably lapping faster than the rest of the field without critical tyre wear. Thus, the pit stop was as unnecessary for Nico as it was for Lewis. The only reason why Lewis has something to blab about is that Nico was pitted first and followed that order based on the assumption of equal treatment. Had he known that Lewis was going to be stubborn, he could’ve just stayed out and won the race just as easily, albeit with a marginally higher risk of tyre failure.
    This is one of those (thankfully quite rare) moments when Lewis makes me want to slap my forehead, because that helps me deal with really, really stupid things.
    1. 

       Ian Bond (@ianbond001)
       13th November 2015, 14:14

       I’m not a Lewis fan and i am eager to take a jab at him, but this time, if you read the whole article not just the headline he had the right attitude.
       In the race we expect them to push on all fronts, even forcing the team into helping them get ahead of their team mates; how many times we heard “i’m quicker than my team mate” over the radio. I honestly hoped he would have stayed out. Nico would have cached him on new rubber and we would have had a fight for P1.
       But after the race, since they decided to comply with team orders, they should be more cool headed and get behind the team decision which is what the article says Lewis did.
       So on this occasion, kudos to Lewis!
12. 

    Philip (@philipgb)
    13th November 2015, 14:17

    Watching the race Hamilton didn’t get any opportunity to battle for the lead. I can only assume he was pinning his hopes on the final laps of the race that his tyres would be in a slightly better shape than Rosberg’s for a last dash attempt. And from past form you’d have to say it’s likely his tyres would have had a little more life in them.

    But that’s the difference between the kind of animal Hamilton is and the kind the team strategists are. He would happily risk a DNF for a win, it’s how he defines himself in comparison to his idol that he doesn’t just sit back and count the points, if there is a chance of a win he’ll risk everything for it.

    Mercedes are only in the sport for one reason, media coverage. A team 1-2 is the best media coverage they can get. A team 1-2 where their star driver is featured in the press for weeks afterwards discussing their win, reminding people of their win and his do or die approach is just fantastic marketing.
    1. 

       Patrickl (@patrickl)
       13th November 2015, 21:07

       Exactly. He’d rather try to get that win and DNF then just finish the laps and pick up an easy P2.

       Not sure why Mercedes is being so difficult about it though. They have already won both championships. Hamilton battling it out for the win with Rosberg would give them massive coverage. Now the camera doesn’t even show them.

       Someone even indicated that it would be better for them to just not score any points at all. They have to paly their license fees based on points scored while there income would be related to the position in the WCC. So they are only hurting themselves by scoring points. In that light, a double DNF on the last corner would be the best scenario for the team. Not even counting the bigger media interest over a proper on track battle
13. 

    Park
    13th November 2015, 14:34

    Mercedes wants to avoid close team-mate battles in a reasonable way.
    If LH was ahead, I believe, they would made the same call.
14. 

    Patrickl (@patrickl)
    13th November 2015, 21:03

    Someone posted a link from the on-board camera’s of nice the battle which Verstappen had with Vettel. verstappen flew wide and far off track on two occasions. Just in those few laps alone.

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