After 17 years in F1, Lewis Hamilton has likely developed a sixth sense for how a race might unfold and what his chances of success are. So, when his team messes up a strategy for him, he naturally feels disappointed at the thought of what could have been — especially if it turns out that he was right. Blake Hinsey recently spoke about the same.
The former Red Bull engineer emphasized how clear communication with drivers like Hamilton is vital to avoid confusion. He shared his insights during a chat with F1 content creator Cameron.
“I feel that as an engineer, if you got a strategy for example that annoys your driver, it is probably because you have not elaborated the entire story. Guys like Lewis know what’s going on, they can approximate how a race will unfold,” Hinsey said on Cameron’s YouTube channel.
Blake also noted that beyond the binary communication about tire compound choices and pit stop timing, drivers like Hamilton need to understand the reasoning behind their team’s decisions.
Considering Hamilton’s strategic missteps this season, it’s clear how essential this insight is to his success.
At the Belgian GP weekend, Hamilton had a chance to cross the chequered flag in P1. However, when his teammate George Russell stretched out his hard tire stint to pull off a one-stop strategy, it caught him off guard.
George “Tyre Whisperer” Russell takes the chequered flag!
Talk about a strategy call! #F1 #BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/oGiVPVz4Dr
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 28, 2024
Despite having faster tires in the closing stages, Hamilton couldn’t overtake Russell, adding to his frustration of being put on a two-stop strategy , unlike Russell. He complained on the radio and was disappointed about finishing P2 (he later got the win when Russell was disqualified).
Similarly, at the Japanese GP, Mercedes opted for an aggressive tire strategy with two hard sets available. However, the lack of pace escalated the tire wear, putting Hamilton in a difficult position on a used set of mediums. He couldn’t make any major ground and ultimately had to settle for second — another race he could have won.
While communicating these decisions to Hamilton would not have resulted in sure-shot victories, the 39-year-old could at least have comprehended the choices in a better way instead of lashing out on the team radio.
Hinsey highlighted that the strategist and the engineer need to build trust in their communication loop about race strategies. Otherwise, there would often be misunderstandings on tire strategy calls and they may not be able to come on the same page.
