Lewis Hamilton’s former teammate questions Mercedes’s strategy that cost the 7-time World Champion a potential win in the 2022 Dutch GP.
Lewis Hamilton did not enjoy his weekend in Zandvoort. The Briton had a strong qualification and made his way up the grid claiming the race lead after the initial Virtual Safety car.
But Mercedes started on Medium tyres while Red Bull and Ferrari had pitted earlier and were on Hards. The tyre strategy proved costly as a late safety car blew up Hamilton’s hopes.
When the safety car came out, Mercedes decided to pit George Russell, who was P2. This meant Max Verstappen was automatically promoted from P3 to P2 and began to attack Lewis.
But Lewis could not hold Verstappen, who had the pace advantage on his fresher tyres. And just within a couple of laps of inheriting the race lead, Lewis slips behind Verstappen, Russell and Charles Leclerc.
Hamilton finished P4 but was extremely disappointed with Mercedes’s strategy. Had the team made the call to leave Russell out along with Lewis or chosen a different strategy, they could have celebrated their first race in the 2022 season.
Lewis’s former teammate, Nico Rosberg, was also left scratching his head when he saw Mercedes pit Russell. He claims that was the moment the Silver Arrows threw their win away.
Rosberg said, “They made that decision to leave Lewis out to have a chance to go for the win. Now George is not going to win because he is already behind Max. So if you do take that decision, leave George out as well to block Max and give Lewis an even better chance to win.”
Also Read: Mattia Binotto hits back at Nico Rosberg for insulting Ferrari’s pitstop
Nico Rosberg understands Lewis Hamilton’s frustration
Nico Rosberg has known Lewis Hamilton since his Karting days when they were really good friends. But the two shared a bitter rivalry when the dup were reunited in Mercedes in 2013.
Nico shared 3 title battles with Hamilton. And he finally succeeded in 2016 before retiring. But the $50 Million net worth former champion knows how competitive Hamilton can get.
While Hamilton lost the race lead and podium place, he was beaten by rookie George Russell who claimed P2. And that would not have fit well with Hamilton, according to his former teammate.
Rosberg claimed, “First he gets overtaken and loses the win, then his team-mate comes flying past. That’s not a good feeling, believe me! It’s really annoying. And for Lewis, one thing led to another. It was a really terrible experience for him.”
Hamilton was furious by the pit strategy that cost him a possible win. He was heard fuming on the radio, which Rosberg sympathised with
“That’s completely understandable. I guess it’ll get heated again behind closed doors. He’ll bang on the table a bit.” Hamilton later apologised for his explicit radio outburst.
Also: Read: Nico Rosberg praises Lewis Hamilton for his post-race words after heartbreaking Dutch GP loss
