“If Ocon did it, then I could do it, for sure”– Lewis Hamilton shocked to know Esteban Ocon completed the race on a single set of tyres.
Lewis Hamilton envisioned completing his race on the single set of intermediate tyres as he was determined to keep his contention for the podium.
However, Mercedes had a different approach and assertively asked him to pit. But it was too late for the tyres to heat up. Therefore, Sergio Pere and Charles Leclerc were able to hunt him.
In the end, Hamilton finished P5, boiled with the rage he displayed his displeasure with Mercedes’ call. But the Silver Arrows argued that he would have lost positions anyway if he had stood with his old tyres.
“We thought we could finish third without stopping or, if a dry line emerged, maybe going to a soft tyre. Then we saw Leclerc dropping off and Lewis was dropping off and it was clear we wouldn’t make it to the end.”
Wolff is now asked whether it would have been better had Hamilton pitted when first told to do so: “That would have been better than what we ended up with.”
“But it was measured and in the car, he didn’t see how much he was dropping off. It was clear that had he stayed out then he would have lost out to Gasly.”
“The correct call would probably have been taking it very conservative and pitting when everybody else pitted for the inters, coming out behind Perez and Leclerc and fighting with them for P3. That was probably correct, but that is only with hindsight.”
If Esteban Ocon can do it, then why not me? asks Lewis Hamilton
After the race, it was discovered that Esteban Ocon finished the entire race on the tyres he started. Shocked by it, Hamilton claimed if his French counterpart could do it, then he could too.
A P10 was a decent result for Alpine with Ocon, but not ideal, considering they have been racking better results than this together, something Hamilton should realize.
