“That was probably a 50-50 decision,” Toto Wolff on Lewis Hamilton’s pit stop call under the safety car

“That was probably a 50-50 decision,” Toto Wolff on Lewis Hamilton’s pit stop call under the safety car

Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff

Another race of the 2022 season ended for Lewis Hamilton without a podium, apart from the only one he bagged in the season opener in Bahrain. The Briton’s nerve was pressed as he saw his teammate George Russell overtake him with the help of new tires after the session resumed as it was brought under the safety car due to Lando Norris’ crash.

While George got lucky yet again with a pit stop under the safety car, Lewis Hamilton was unlucky, yet again, in the same scenario. When the seven-times world champion asked over the radio to his team if he should make a stop, the team asked him back for an answer. Eventually, he didn’t pit after the suggestion by his race engineer and lost a place to his teammate, finishing P6 in the inaugural Miami GP.

Speaking of this chat and calls made over the radio, Lewis said, “In that scenario I have no clue where everyone is, so when the team say it’s your choice I don’t have the information to make the decision. That’s what your job is, make the decision for me – you’ve got all the details, I don’t.”

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Toto Wolff’s review of the call made on Lewis Hamilton’s pitstop

Lewis Hamilton is his W13 in Miami
Lewis Hamilton is his W13 in Miami

The call for the driver was tricky as it raised a dilemma of either staying out on the hards or going and pit for the softs but losing track position. However, his discontentment made by the team was expressed in his statement- “Strategy’s not been kind to me man.”

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes that this choice of whether to pit or not was between a rock and a hard place. He said, “I think he was between a rock and a hard place because the Safety Car clearly came out in a situation that wasn’t favourable for him and was favourable for George in the back.”

He added, “That would have also been tricky so that was probably a 50-50 decision and in the end, it didn’t work out for him. It is not the first time this season that he has been unlucky with the Safety Car.”

Mercedes in Miami appeared to be better in terms of collective performance as they seem to be moving in the direction of resolving their porpoising issues. With Lewis Hamilton appearing to be a bit aggressive in the United States, the fans can hope for a turnaround soon.


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