27 May 2024 , 08:25
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Toto Wolff said Mercedes "got it wrong" after Lewis Hamilton complained about the team's pit strategy at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Hamilton spent most of his afternoon looking at the back of Max Verstappen 's car. Red Bull struggled in the Principality and the Dutchman could only qualify sixth, one place ahead of his old F1 rival.
And that was where they finished with overtaking virtually impossible on the tight streets of Monte Carlo. Hamilton's only hope of getting past Verstappen would have been through an undercut in the pit lane, which might have worked.
Hamilton did pit before Verstappen but then Red Bull responded to make sure their driver didn't come back out behind the Mercedes. And they managed that, much to the seven-time F1 champion's displeasure.
He took to the radio to complain, asking the team: "Why didn't you tell me out lap was critical?" His point was that, had he been told that Verstappen was pitting in response, he would have pushed hard to try to make sure the Red Bull came back out of the pits behind him.
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Instead, Verstappen emerged still in sixth place and that was that until the chequered flag. Speaking after the Grand Prix, team principal Wolff admitted Mercedes made a mistake by not keeping Hamilton informed about what was going on ahead of him.
The Austrian said: "That was a miscommunication first between us on the pit wall. We got that wrong, it should have been an 'out-lap critical' in trying to undercut. But then there was a debate whether any out-lap would be enough on the new tyre, so the message he got was at best confusing, but probably wrong.
"It should have been an 'out-lap critical'. The worry in the background was if we stretched the tyre in a single lap then what would happen later? But in summary it was the wrong message to Lewis, and this is a team sport."
Wolff also insisted that George Russell, who qualified ahead of Hamilton and had an upgraded front wing while his team-mate didn't, is not getting preferential treatment. He said: "We're trying to do the best out of the relationship and maximise the results for what is the final season. Always, between drivers and teams it can be tense at times, because everybody wants to do the best.
"As a team, we've demonstrated even in the most tense competitions between team-mates we're trying to always balance it right and be transparent and fair. I can understand it as a driver, you want the best out of yourself and the team, and sometimes when it's going against you, you can question. But as a team, we're 100 percent on a mission of giving both drivers the best possible cars, strategies and support."