Hakkinen says Mercedes had no choice: "Max would have passed them both"
F1 News
- GPblog.com
For Lewis Hamilton, the Dutch Grand Prix looked like he could go for the win, but the Mercedes driver had to acknowledge Max Verstappen's superiority in the end. The decision to have only George Russell stop during the safety car raised questions here and there, but according to Mika Hakkinen, the team had no choice.
Victory for Verstappen was inevitable
During the late safety car, Mercedes decided to comply with Russell's request for a tyre change, but the team decided to leave Hamilton out in a leading position. Hamilton was furious when it turned out that the strategy did not work out and felt aggrieved by his team but later apologised for his fierce statements. According to Hakkinen, Mercedes could have done little to keep Verstappen from victory anyway.
"There was a lot of talk about Mercedes’ decision to put George onto soft tyres and leave Lewis on mediums, but really, they had no choice. If they had left both cars out, Max would have passed them both and Charles might have taken second for Ferrari," Hakkinen explained in his column for Unibet.
According to the two-time world champion, bringing in both drivers was not an option either, as it would have meant giving up their track position to Verstappen. Hakkinen, therefore, sees splitting the strategy as 'the only way to explore all options'. It didn't work out the way Mercedes had hoped, but the German team was competitive for the first time in a long time.
Hakkinen shifts focus to P2 in championship
Meanwhile, Red Bull Racing's lead in both championships has grown to well over a hundred points. With seven races to go, securing both titles seems a mere formality for the team. "They are very fast, very consistent, the kind of confidence that world champions have during a great season. We now go to every race expecting Max to be the man to beat," said Hakkinen, who now sees a very close battle for second place in the championship.
Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc are tied on 201 points, but both have Russell in their wake just thirteen points behind. Sainz could also be in for a fight, as the Ferrari driver is only thirteen points behind Russell.