Hamilton’s plan to keep Max at bay with minimal risk
MERCEDES snookered Red Bull in Barcelona with a two-stop strategy that saw Lewis Hamilton hunt down and pass Max Verstappen, neutralising a 22-second deficit in just 18 laps. It was a brilliant drive and an equally audacious strategy, one with echoes of the 2019 Hungarian GP victory for Lewis, proving once again the confidence both team and driver have in each other.
The win, combined with his 100th pole position, made this another weekend to remember for Hamilton. ‘The 100-mark is something that I don’t think anybody, and particularly me, ever thought that I would get to,’ said Hamilton on Saturday. ‘It’s crazy that it is 100 and it felt like one of the first.’
But perhaps the most vivid memory of the day will be the uncompromising pass Verstappen made down the inside of the Mercedes into turn one at the start. Had Hamilton not opened his steering when he did, they would have collided. And that’s a statement of intent from Max.
He knows he does not have the quickest car over a race distance right now, so he is willing to take risks. Hamilton can afford to yield in such a situation because he believes he can regain track position at the next opportunity.
‘I just made sure I gave Max as much space as I could,’ said Hamilton. ‘In my mind, it’s always a marathon not a sprint, so I’m always thinking of the long game. I could have been more aggressive. Did I need to? Well, I’m in the position that I’m in because I don’t get too aggressive when I don’t need to.’
That position, in addition to being a seven-time world champion, is that he is now leading the 2021 championship by 14 points.
Passing on the Circuit de Catalunya is never easy, so it fell to Mercedes’ pitwall to come up with a tyre strategy that would put Red Bull in checkmate. One potential fly in the ointment, though, was Valtteri Bottas.
Hamilton’s team-mate should
have been relied upon to move over and let the British driver retake second place in hot pursuit of Verstappen. Hamilton was on a different strategy, the chances of winning on a knife edge. Bottas refused to yield for half a lap, costing Lewis a second or two.
In the end, he managed to pass
Verstappen six laps from the end, but at the time the forecast was that the race would be decided on the final lap. Bottas has since said he is there to race and not hand over positions. That will not go down well with the Mercedes brass. Nevertheless, Hamilton has defended his team-mate’s actions, calling them ‘completely fair’, and adding: ‘We’re racing, and that’s totally fine for me, particularly early on in the season.’
While Mercedes’ No.2 could be doing more to support the team leader, the same is true of Sergio Perez, who struggled with a spin in qualifying and finished fifth in the race. Merc and Red Bull want their second driver in the mix to act as a buffer for Hamilton and Verstappen respectively. The Mexican’s boss Christian Horner insists Perez just needs more time, saying: ‘I’m convinced it will come for Checo as he finds more confidence and time in the car.’
While Bottas is unlikely to have his contract renewed for 2022, Mercedes are determined to extend Hamilton’s deal by August and not let negotiations drag on until January, as the parties did this year. Hamilton, who appears re-energised by his rivalry with Verstappen and in the best shape of his life, sounds committed to another season and wants to avoid the uncertainty of a last-minute deal.
‘We never want to be in the position we were in in January. It ruined my whole winter and I’m sure it wasn’t helpful for Toto’s,’ said the 36-year-old.
‘I think we have to be sensible and start conversations [soon], as long as it doesn’t interfere with the actual job.’
Hamilton negotiates his contracts himself, rather than relying on a manager like most other drivers. He added: ‘They’re very complex [negotiations], it’s never a super simple procedure, but it would be great to get something in place before the [August] break.’