Hamilton's SPA strategy silence sparks debate

Lewis Hamilton's frustration over Mercedes' strategy call at the Belgian Grand Prix has ignited discussions about driver communication and team dynamics.

Former McLaren driver Stoffel Vandoorne suggests the seven-time world champion may have missed an opportunity by not being more vocal about his tyre condition.

Strategy miscalculation

The Belgian Grand Prix saw an unexpected turn of events when tyre degradation levels fell below Mercedes' expectations.

The team opted for a two-stop strategy for Hamilton, while his teammate George Russell successfully executed a one-stop plan.

This decision ultimately cost Hamilton a potential on-track victory, although he later inherited the win following Russell's disqualification.

Vandoorne, speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, offered insight into the situation:

"I think a lot of people were probably focused on racing each other and trying to cover each other off, rather than probably thinking how does the tyre actually feel? "

"And I think that's also why Lewis probably feels a little bit annoyed after this race, because he felt the tyres are good. "

"But he probably wasn't vocal enough that they could go longer on the tyres and try to one-stop."

Weather impact and tyre management

Nine-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen highlighted the role of Saturday's wet conditions in complicating strategy decisions.

The rain washed away rubber laid down on the track, leading teams to anticipate higher tyre wear on race day.

"They would expect it to be harder on the tyre, because when it goes green let's say, when the rubber is washed off, there's quite a lot of very long corners here and that of course, keeps the heat on these tyres and you will be very fragile to graining,"

Kristensen explained.

Intra-team dynamics

The success of Russell's one-stop strategy has raised questions about the impact on team dynamics, especially in light of Hamilton's impending move to Ferrari.

Kristensen suggests that this factor is influencing the intra-team competition at Mercedes.

"Yes, sure," Kristensen responded when asked about the difficulty for Hamilton to accept Russell's strategy success.

"But I like that that was communicated that they were open to race. "

"And of course, that box is open due to the fact that Lewis Hamilton is going to Ferrari next year, so I think that is also playing into that intra-team fight there is."

Mercedes defends strategy call

Despite the post-race scrutiny, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff stood firm on the decision to keep Hamilton on a two-stop strategy.

Speaking to media Toto Wolff stated:

"As a driver you don't have the full picture because he said his tyres are good but at that stage nobody had a one-stop on the radar. "

"We had to cover the cars behind. What we did with Lewis was absolutely the right thing to do."