Lewis Hamilton was frustrated with Mercedes’ tire and pit strategy during the Monaco Grand Prix, a sentiment echoed by team principal Toto Wolff, who acknowledged the team’s shortcomings.
Hamilton’s pointed “I told you guys” remark to Mercedes early in the race came after the opening lap was red-flagged due to a crash involving Sergio Perez, Kevin Magnussen, and Nico Hulkenberg. This incident prompted many drivers to switch tires, with most starting on mediums and switching to hards to fulfill the two-compound requirement for the race.
However, Hamilton was one of the few who began the race on hard tires, necessitating a switch to mediums during the stoppage. The seven-time F1 champion was apprehensive that this strategy would disadvantage him.
Despite his concerns, the race pace was so slow that even the medium tires lasted until the end. George Russell, Hamilton’s teammate, demonstrated this by finishing fifth after over 70 laps on mediums, successfully fending off Max Verstappen.
Hamilton wasn’t aware this was feasible when he made his radio comment. After the race, he explained that he had preferred to start on mediums, anticipating an early opportunity to switch to hards. He felt sidelined by the team’s strategy decision and feared it would hinder his performance.
Reflecting on the situation, Hamilton stated, “I wanted to start on the mediums. I felt an early incident would allow a switch to hards, making it to the end. But the race was so slow that tire choice didn’t matter.”
Additionally, Hamilton was annoyed by the team’s failure to inform him that Verstappen had pitted, missing the chance to undercut the Dutch driver. Wolff admitted to the communication error.
Wolff explained, “There was a miscommunication on the pit wall. We should have prioritized the out-lap to undercut. The message to Lewis was confusing and ultimately wrong. We debated the impact of stretching the tire for one lap, but in summary, we delivered the wrong message to Lewis. This is a team sport, and we got it wrong.”
