Lewis Hamilton wishes he 'would have made my own strategy' after F1 Belgian GP
Lewis Hamilton's one regret from the Belgian Grand Prix: “Would have made my own strategy.”
Lewis Hamilton was left to rue Mercedes’ F1 strategy decisions at the Belgian Grand Prix - until he was later unexpectedly handed the victory.
Hamilton crossed the finishing line behind teammate George Russell, who was later disqualified because his car was underweight.
Before the FIA investigation was decided, a difference in strategy had proven to be the decisive factor.
While Hamilton opted for the conventional two-stop strategy, Russell was the only driver to attempt a one-stop in the top 10.
It ultimately paid off as Russell fended off Hamilton in the closing laps to take his second victory of the season.
Hamilton wasn’t in a talkative mood in the post-race cooldown room.
His frustration was apparent after the race in a number of TV interviews.
When speaking to F1 TV, he was asked what he would have done differently with strategy in hindsight?
He replied: “Would have made my own strategy.”
Clearly showing he was unhappy with the decisions on the Mercedes pit wall.
In a separate interview with Sky Sports, Hamilton’s annoyance was clear.
“I wasn’t expecting us to be as strong as we were. It felt great to get into the lead,” he said. “Obviously, a bit of a shock at the end.
“We’ll sit down in-house, and move forward. We can go in with our heads held high into the summer break, and hopefully come back strong in the second half.
“For sure, it’s a positive. George wasn’t really in my race, for most of it. If the strategy was done right, he wouldn’t have been in my race. It’s great that, at the end, we have cars that are competing.”
Hamilton then shrugged his shoulders when informed by the interviewer that his two-stop strategy was to cover off Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris.
“Yeah…,” he added. “It is what it is. I’m going into my summer break. I’m going to have a great time.
"Congrats to the team, and to George. This will be a huge plus to everyone back at the factory. We didn’t expect this weekend to be…
“Especially after Friday, when we were a second off. Amazing work overnight on Friday night. To get a 1-2 going into the summer break is pretty spectacular.”
