Lewis Hamilton Plays Down Ferrari VSC Strategy Call After Melbourne P4

F1 Features
1

image
image1320×742 123 KB

Lewis Hamilton: No Hard Feelings Over Ferrari Pit Strategy

  • Race Context:

    • Hamilton started 7th on the grid and finished 4th, just 0.6 seconds behind teammate Charles Leclerc.

    • Mercedes had a one-two with George Russell winning and Kimi Antonelli second.

  • VSC Controversy:

    • During the race, Virtual Safety Car periods allowed Mercedes to pit their drivers with minimal time loss.

    • Ferrari opted not to pit Leclerc or Hamilton, prompting Hamilton to question the call over team radio.

  • Hamilton’s Perspective:

  • image
    image519×382 51.2 KB

    • He believes finishing 3rd and 4th was the maximum result achievable given Mercedes’ pace:

      “I don’t have mixed emotions… Ultimately, the Mercedes were quicker than us, and that’s probably the positions we were going to get today.”

    • Hamilton felt that pitting might have had limited impact but acknowledged it could be worth reviewing in hindsight.

  • Race Highlights & Positives:

    • Hamilton had a strong start, gaining places quickly despite briefly running wide at Turn 1.

    • By the end of the race, he had significant pace and felt that with a few extra laps he could have challenged Leclerc:

      “Couple more laps, and I would have had Charles. That’s positive. In the next race, I know where we need to pick up and improve on, and I know that we can be fighting for a podium.”