Lewis Hamilton said his Spanish Grand Prix victory on Sunday showed the trust he and Mercedes have in one another to make the right decisions.
Hamilton and his team delivered a strategic masterclass to beat Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who had won the race down to Turn 1 to lead.
Mercedes turned the race on its head by committing to a two-stop strategy when Verstappen was clearly sticking to one. With fresh tyres and relentless pace, Hamilton was able to catch and pass Verstappen six laps from the finish.
The win opens up Hamilton’s championship lead over Verstappen to 14 points.
“Such a close start, obviously there was a little rubber down on the right-hand side and the Red Bull made a great start,” Hamilton said.
“Then I was just hunting, and I was so close for so long, and I didn’t think in doing that I was going to be able to make the tyres last.
“But I just managed to just keep them in somehow. And a long way to come from 20 seconds back. But it was a good gamble, really great strategy.”
Hamilton admitted he was not convinced whether the second stop was a good idea, as he had been reeling Verstappen in leading up to the call.
“I was about to get, I think, a shot to get past him before I pitted him right at the end.
“I was really conflicted: ‘do I come in or do I ignore the call and stay out?’ I did what the team, asked and that’s because there is great trust between us.
“It was a remarkable job by everyone in this team. What a day!”
The F1 season continues with the Monaco Grand Prix on May 23.