Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton reflected on the strategy used in F1 US GP, while Christian Horner and Toto Wolff have their say as well.
It was a strategic display in F1 US GP where Red Bull were on the aggressive side which allowed Verstappen to take the lead from Mercedes’ Hamilton and eventually win the grand prix. Even though the Brit had fresher tyres at the end of the race, he did not have enough laps to overtake him as he caught him when few laps were remaining.
The pressure was still on for Verstappen as he explained after the race, but the Dutchman managed it well eventually. It was one of the perfect run from him after losing the lead early on. At the same time, Hamilton just did not have any answers.
Verstappen: “It was exciting. The whole race the pressure was on because not knowing how quick Lewis was going to get you. We went very aggressive on the first stop after losing the lead at the start. Then again during the middle stint Lewis was within that undercut range so we had to respond. We had to go early again. And the last stint was very long, in this heat especially.
“We managed to hang on at the end, with just enough in the tyres to push. I think I’ve been in this position before where you are in the lead with the older tyres or the other way around where you are hunting. I just tried to do the best I could and tried to be consistent, trying to find the grip within the tyre, without damaging too much. It wasn’t easy but I think at the end of the day that made it really exciting.”
Hamilton: “I think they were quicker all weekend, on all tyres. Just in the heat, I think the real strength has shone through this weekend, a bit like it has in other places, like Bahrain, this year. So, yeah, did the best I could with what we had.”
On the team boss side, there was not only praise for Verstappen but also Red Bull who had a better strategy in the end to win the grand prix. Although Wolff still reckoned that Mercedes had enough to win the race, but there were good words for his rivals.
Red Bull were still wary of Hamilton and Mercedes, as they can never count out their rivals. The Brit had enough pace to catch Verstappen which he actually did, but didn’t have enough to eventually overtake the Dutchman for the win.
Horner: “I think we were quicker on the medium and Max Verstappen could see that Lewis was sliding around a lot and we were in danger of overheating our own tyres and were being a bit stuck so we decided to take the gamble and find some free air. And it was then going to put us under pressure for sure at the end of the race, it was inevitable Mercedes were going to run long. We were able to push them, to change early on the first stint by getting Sergio Perez in as well, but of course they then had the ability to go long in that middle stint that gave them an eight lap tyre advantage to the end of the race.
“But Verstappen did a fantastic job in managing the degradation and having enough rear tyres left for those crucial final five laps when Lewis Hamilton was looming large so what a phenomenal performance by him. I mean Lewis, that at the end of the race, he’s so strong and he’s gone long, he’s bought himself an advantage and I think that to lose a race like that in the last two or three laps would have been really painful and I think Max just held on he did a great job he managed the race really smartly and had just enough at the end there.
Wolff: “You could see the strategy, the different strategies, one team that went for the undercut out of necessity, and a very, how can I say, courageous move, because it was very early. And the second time again to their advantage. Max’s driving, particularly in the last stint, you could see that he had learned from the second stint not to damage the tyres too early because he had something left at the end.
“But on the contrary, we were just on the back foot because the car was not fast enough on the first stint on the medium. We couldn’t possibly have gone for an early stop, because based on the data that we had on the medium, it didn’t look like we could finish the race at that stage with an early stop. And then Lewis Hamilton did drive awesomely. He brought the car in, remained calm even though he had 6.5 and on the second stop 8.5 seconds to Max, brought it in, increased the pace, and at a certain stage, there was just a massive difference, and that was brilliantly executed.
“But just not close enough at the end. When you follow a car, you start to suffer a bit, and I think if we would have had maybe two laps more, who knows? But it is what it is, and you need to congratulate Red Bull for their stops. I think we could have won the race, of course, because we were in the lead and we had a very strong pace on the hard. In a way, we need to retrace the weekend from Friday to Sunday, where did we misjudge, where did we get it wrong, what did we do well, and there will be plenty of discussion, positive discussions about what to learn from this weekend. I don’t believe there is a particular pattern going forward, who suits which track. It’s just very different regulations, and we need to push and push and push, and hopefully be in a situation to fight for the championship to the very last race.”
Here’s Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton on Turn 1