Lewis Hamilton critiques McLaren’s strategy at the Italian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton has shared his thoughts on McLaren’s recent strategy missteps during the Italian Grand Prix, suggesting that a more measured approach could have led to a different outcome. McLaren initially showed promise, with drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris leading after the first pit stops. However, an off-track incident for Norris prompted the team to switch to a two-stop strategy, allowing Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to take the lead and ultimately win the race.

Hamilton pointed out that McLaren’s aggressive pace early on may have hurt their tire performance. He believes that if they had eased off and conserved their tires, they might have been able to secure a win with a one-stop strategy instead.

“McLaren had the pace but pushed too hard,” Hamilton explained, via Crash.net. “They were doing much too fast laps, early on. They killed their tires.

“I guess they planned for a two-stop, that’s why they were pushing so hard. If they backed off longer they could’ve made a one-stop,” Hamilton added. “I was getting the information about the times they were doing. There is no way the tires would last, at that pace. Charles did a fantastic job, well done to him.”

Hamilton finished fifth in the race, ahead of both Red Bull cars and his teammate George Russell. He noted that Mercedes had initially planned for a one-stop strategy but had to adjust due to tire degradation issues. Despite the challenges, Hamilton acknowledged Ferrari’s recent upgrades, which gave them a competitive edge over Mercedes.

“We were planning to do a one-stop but my tyres were dropping off, just trying to hold onto Carlos,” he added. “Definitely unexpected. But they had an upgrade so it was inevitable that they would be quick compared to us. “I wish we were in the fight but onwards and upwards.”

Looking ahead, Hamilton remains optimistic that Mercedes will have opportunities to improve their performance in future races, especially when they introduce their own upgrades. He emphasized that the competition is tight, and small differences can have a significant impact on race results.

“They had an upgrade this weekend and we didn’t. That’s how it goes. There will be a race where we have an upgrade and they don’t, and we’ll be stronger, hopefully.

“It is very, very fine, small margins between all of us. Unfortunately today we didn’t have the pace, and we had more deg. I could have done a one-stop but I would’ve come out in the same place.”