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Hamilton explains cautious display at Spanish Grand Prix
While Hamilton has come out to explain why he drove cautiously during the Grand Prix. Hamilton who started on pole position, allowed Verstappen to enjoy a rapid getaway from a rubbered-in P2 grid slot that saw him go side-by-side with the Mercedes into Turn 1 and push the Silver Arrows driver wide, taking the lead of the race.
The record F1 champion said he could have completed the job from the beginning, but slowed down instead.
“So, I know Valtteri was obviously starting in third and the goal is to work as a team. So I stayed to the left. I think in hindsight there could have been a moment, looking back, that when Max moved in behind me for a second, I could have pulled across and sealed the job there – but I hesitated.”
“And then, as we went into Turn 1, I just made sure I gave as much space as I could to Max. In my mind, it’s always a marathon, not a sprint, so I’m just always thinking the long game and sure, you could be a little bit more aggressive. Do I need to? Well, I’m in the position that I’m in because I don’t get too aggressive when I don’t need to be,” he said.
Hamilton’s game plan worked out as he later passed Verstappen to take the win after an ingenious two-stop strategy that Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said was “perfectly executed”.
Next up the championship is the Monaco Grand Prix, with Mercedes ahead in the constructors’ title race, and Hamilton leading Verstappen in the drivers’.
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