Mercedes admits the Dutch GP strategy was wrong

Verstappen was in control from the start and although Lewis Hamilton was able to maintain contact with his title rival, there was no chance of getting past on the track.

The only option Hamilton had 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 a chance to get past Verstappen, and one final roll of the dice on a second stop 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 touch of undercut there,” said Wolff. [But] we didn’t timed it right. I mean, in the end you are always smarter.

“We didn’t expect it [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 early with the soft one. But it is what it is. “

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Wolff said Mercedes avoided attempting a single stop early with Hamilton because it was nervous about the hard tire’s life.

“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 neither of us had actually driven it. 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“He has withdrawn,” added Wolff.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. “