Verstappen kept the route from the start and Lewis Hamilton was able to keep in touch with his title rival, but had no chance of getting past on the track.
The only option for Hamilton was to undercut Verstappen by pitting first and using Mercedes Valtteri Botttas for an alternate strategy.
Bottas tried to get everything from a single source, but couldn’t keep his tires alive long enough that he got away from the competition to harass Verstappen.
And Hamilton never got an opportunity to get past Verstappen with a final roll of the dice on a second stop that was wasted by returning to the track in the middle of lap traffic.
Hamilton’s plight was then made worse when Verstappen moved onto the more durable hard tires, which meant he wasn’t forced to make a third stop.
In an interview with Sky, Wolff admitted that Red Bull simply had the fastest car at Zandvoort – and that the team did not get the timing of the second stop right.
“I think we had a hint of undercut there,” said Wolff.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16B, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
“[But] we didn’t timed it right. I mean, in the end, you’re always smarter.
“We didn’t expect them [Red Bull] to go on the hard tire because it was a stranger. We didn’t ride the hard tire on Friday and thought we could push it earlier with the soft one. But it is what it is. “
Wolff said Mercedes avoided attempting a single stop early with Hamilton because it was nervous about the life of the tough.
“I think the hard tire was a bit of a gamble,” he explained. “You could have seen from the Ferraris that it was going well, but it was new territory because none of us had actually driven them. At least we didn’t do it. “
There was late-stage racing drama for Mercedes as it struggled to secure an extra point for Hamilton on the fastest lap. Valtteri Bottas had only made it late when he was switched to the softs.
Although Bottas’ attempt came from the pit wall despite a message urging him to abandon the lap, Wolff said there was no problem with what the Finn was doing.
“He has withdrawn,” added Wolff. “I think we just wanted to make sure it didn’t happen. That’s why we politely emphasized again on our lap and then he withdrew. “
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