Hamilton Critiques McLaren’s Strategy at Monza, Asserts Tyre Mismanagement Cost Them Victory

Lewis Hamilton expresses concerns about McLaren's aggressive strategy, leading to excessive tyre wear

Lewis Hamilton was caught off guard by McLaren's intense approach in the initial laps of the Italian Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton is of the opinion that McLaren would have easily secured a victory at the F1 Italian Grand Prix if they had reduced their pace and taken care of their tires.

McLaren couldn't turn their advantageous starting positions in the front row at Monza into a win, having been outmaneuvered by Ferrari and Charles Leclerc.

After the initial series of pit stops, Oscar Piastri was ahead of his teammate Lando Norris, closely followed by Leclerc.

Nevertheless, following his mishap at Turn 4, McLaren altered Norris's approach to a two-stop strategy, subsequently applying the same tactic for Piastri.

This gave Leclerc the lead on the track, eventually leading him to win at Monza.

After the race, Hamilton expressed his opinion that McLaren could have secured a victory if they had just slowed down a bit at the beginning.

"Hamilton pointed out that McLaren had the speed but overexerted themselves," he said. "They were clocking excessively fast laps too soon, wearing out their tyres in the process."

"It seems they strategized for a double pit stop, which explains their aggressive pace. Had they eased off a bit more, they might have managed with a single stop."

"I was gathering details on the speeds they were achieving. At such a rate, the tires simply couldn't endure. Charles performed exceptionally well, kudos to him."

In the race, Hamilton clinched the fifth position, outperforming both Red Bull drivers and his teammate George Russell.

Hamilton experienced a rather uncomplicated race, considering he lacked the speed of the leading two teams.

Hamilton disclosed that Mercedes had initially intended to execute a single pit stop strategy, but faced challenges due to rapid tyre wear.

"We had intended to make just one pit stop, but my tires were wearing out, so I was really focusing on keeping up with Carlos," he further mentioned.

"Truly unforeseen. However, given their enhancement, it was bound to happen that they would outpace us."

"I hope we were part of the battle, but we must move forward and aim higher."

Hamilton attributes Mercedes' slower speed compared to Ferrari to the latter's significant upgrade for the weekend.

"The sole advantage is our dependable performance, yet it seems this is a common trait among our competitors," he commented. "In the end, our speed during the race wasn't sufficient. I can't pinpoint the reason."

"Even had I begun at an advantage, it would have been challenging. Had I been in front of the Ferraris, they would have ultimately overtaken me due to their superior speed."

"This weekend, they received an update, and we did not. That's the nature of the competition. There will come a time when we get an update and they do not, making us hopefully stronger."

"The differences between us are incredibly slight, just razor-thin. Regrettably, we lacked speed today and experienced greater degradation. Although a one-stop strategy was possible for me, it would have resulted in ending up in the same position."

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