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Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff says his team probably would not have called their driver in for a second pit stop if they were in the same situation as Red Bull.
Mercedes’ decision to pit Lewis Hamilton for the second time at the Spanish Grand Prix, proved to be a winning strategy, as the Briton managed to close the gap to Verstappen and overtake him in the final stages of the race.
However, many were left wondering why Red Bull didn’t pit their driver for the second time, instead leaving him as a “sitting duck” (as Max himself said over the team radio) on old worn down tyres.
Toto Wolff reveals he would have done the same in their situation.
“We would probably have done the same,” the Austrian said after the race.
“You can’t do that. You can’t give away your track position. If you are in the lead, then it only becomes more difficult strategically.”
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Wolff adds Mercedes would have opted for a second pit stop even if they didn’t have another set of medium tyres available.
“We probably would have chosen soft tyres then. He might not have been able to attack as long as he did on medium tyres, but we would have had fresher tyres.
“That set of tyres might have gone three or four laps before the end, but when you are second, you have nothing to lose.”
The Austrian also commented on Verstappen’s Lap 1 overtaking manoeuvre on Hamilton, that could have ended in the two driver touching, if Lewis didn’t back off.
“The manoeuvre was hard, but within the rules. There was also no damage to Lewis’ car, so we didn’t lose any downforce,” Mercedes’ team boss concluded.
