Mercedes Under Fire: Did Tire Strategy Cost Hamilton Key Sprint Qualifying Edge in Austria?

Mercedes comes under examination as F1 pole bid stumbles: “Did they make the correct call?”

The decision-making of Mercedes faces criticism after the sprint qualifying session at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Ex-Aston Martin Formula 1 strategist Bernie Collins has raised concerns about Mercedes' choice to avoid using the soft tires for Lewis Hamilton during practice while evaluating his results in the sprint qualifying session.

Hamilton achieved a sixth-place starting position for the Saturday sprint race, trailing his Mercedes teammate George Russell by two-tenths of a second.

The driver, who has won the world championship seven times, made an error at Turn 3 and then faced traffic in the last few corners.

Hamilton's last attempt in SQ3 marked his initial use of soft tires during the weekend in Austria, a choice that Mercedes might come to rue, as per Collins.

"Possibly. However, to be critical, they chose to go a different route compared to others," she mentioned during Sky's F1 broadcast.

"Lewis opted not to use the soft tires. He was the only driver in the first practice session to do so, instead choosing the hard tires. This means that for the sprint qualifying, he will need to transition from the medium tires to the soft tires."

"Some say these are the top drivers globally, making the transition feasible. However, others doubted it was possible. In hindsight, whether it was the correct decision remains uncertain."

Mercedes demonstrated strong speed during practice sessions but failed to deliver when it was crucial.

Despite this, Mercedes delivered a promising showing as they surpassed Ferrari.

Ex-W Series racer Naomi Schiff believes that Hamilton was at a disadvantage from the start.

"Our anticipation for Mercedes was much greater today," she stated. "However, right from the start with that incident at the exit of Turn 1, they found themselves in a downward spiral, constantly trying to catch up."

"They were forced to constantly respond to the situation. For SQ1, they had to use a fresh set of medium tires, another fresh set for SQ2, and either a new or used set for SQ3. However, using a second set of medium tires was not allowed. He missed the optimal performance window for the tires. Additionally, there was traffic to contend with."

"After that point, you’re likely feeling very stressed. He had a bit of trouble exiting Turn 3, in addition to dealing with the turbulent air. Things didn’t quite fall into place. I’m curious about how much more performance could be achieved if everything went perfectly."

"However, it raises the question of whether they ended up in this situation by not optimizing their position and opting for a more comfortable general set-up. I wonder if they're also having difficulties with the set-up. We noticed Lewis experiencing several issues during FP1 as well. It's unclear if they are completely satisfied with the car's balance."

Collins raised doubts about Mercedes' initial use of the hard tires and wondered how effectively their efforts with that compound would apply to the softer tires.

Hamilton didn't manage to get a good first lap on medium tires. By the second attempt, the out-lap wasn't comparable since the tires were already used. In Q2, many things went awry, and the situation quickly worsened, Collins summed up.

He was the initial driver to hit the track in SQ3, giving him the prime opportunity to manage the out-lap according to his preferences. The team will be evaluating ways to enhance their performance for the upcoming weekend.

"They had an excellent configuration for the beginning of the first practice session, though it was on a hard tire. It's uncertain how much of that performance will carry over."

Explore Further

Recent Updates

Recent Updates

Website Map

Crash.Net

©1999-2024 Crash Media Group

It is prohibited to reproduce the text, photographs, or illustrations, either in whole or in part, in any format.