While Lewis Hamilton questioned Mercedes for not informing him about teammate George Russell’s one-stop strategy during the Belgian GP, team principal Toto Wolff defended the decision, asserting that pitting Hamilton twice was the ‘right thing to do’.
Although George Russell crossed the finish line first, followed by Hamilton, his victory was short-lived. Shortly after the race, the 26-year-old was disqualified when the FIA determined that his W15 F1 car was underweight by 1.5 kilograms.
Consequently, Hamilton inherited the top position and secured full points for the win. Mercedes attributes the weight loss during the race to excessive tire wear. Nonetheless, the team has initiated a thorough investigation to identify the underlying cause and prevent future occurrences.
The seven-time world champion revealed to Viaplay that he was called in for a second pit stop despite informing his team that the tires were holding up well. Hamilton questioned Mercedes’ lack of communication, expressing frustration over not being informed about his teammate’s one-stop strategy. He said:
“You have to put your faith in the people that you work with so I put my faith in my strategist. I should be able to lean on him fully.
I told him that the tires were fine and they called me in.
“Did I know that I was at risk of getting one-stopped by my team-mate? They didn’t tell me that.”
Hamilton, who moves to Ferrari next season, felt let down by his strategists for not giving him the complete picture. Wolff, however, argued that Russell’s one-stop call was made on the spot after the driver asked the team to consider it. He told the media:
