(Motorsport-Total.com) – Lewis Hamilton finished the Italian Grand Prix in Monza in sixth place. After the red flag, the Ferrari driver completed the race on medium tires – a decision that, in his view, did not pay off. Especially the lack of speed on the straights made life difficult for him.
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“We simply didn’t have the speed on the straights,” says Hamilton after the race. Against the competition, he was “mostly a lame duck” on the straights. At the same time, the car generally felt decent in the corners.
Hamilton had already complained about the condition of his tires during the race. During the virtual safety car, there was also the opportunity to put on fresh tires. Ferrari decided against it. Hamilton initially hoped that the team would call him into the pits – but the stop never came.
Hamilton: “Then I simply ran out of tires”
In an interview with Sky, Hamilton explains why the situation was particularly bitter from his perspective. He gave everything and actually expected more from the race. “I definitely hoped for more, but I gave absolutely everything,” said the Brit.
At the same time, he points out that Ferrari had a difficult starting position before the VSC phase: because he was further back than planned, he had to overtake several competitors beforehand.
Hamilton therefore believes that switching to hard tires might have been the better option. “I thought they would call me into the pits, and then they didn’t, so I simply ran out of tires,” explains the Ferrari driver.
The medium tires therefore had to last the entire race after the red flag. For Hamilton, the strategy increasingly became a problem.
Vasseur sees top speed as a decisive disadvantage
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur also cites the lack of speed on the straights as one of the major weaknesses. Ferrari was at a disadvantage from the start of the race.
“We were somewhat behind in top speed during the race, we already knew that beforehand, but it was difficult to fight,” says Vasseur. In terms of pace, Ferrari was decent, but as soon as direct duels occurred, the team lost positions.
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Overtaking in particular caused problems for Ferrari. “As soon as we had to fight, we lost positions and it was so difficult for us to overtake that the result in the end is not good,” explains Vasseur.
As a positive element, the Ferrari team principal at least takes the qualifying pace with him. Over one lap, the pace was decent. In the race, however, Ferrari missed too many opportunities.
Schumacher criticizes Ferrari decision
Ralf Schumacher also sees the decisive situation at the VSC. From his point of view, Ferrari should have called Hamilton into the pits. “Yes, you had to come in during the VSC,” says Schumacher. For him, the decision in this case was relatively clear. However, Ferrari did not take this chance.
At the same time, Schumacher criticizes Hamilton’s portrayal after the race. “I find it a bit unfortunate that he shifts the blame onto the team,” says the former Formula 1 driver. He assumes that Hamilton’s own ideas also influenced the strategic decision.
Schumacher also does not necessarily see the tire choice itself as the main problem. “I believe that in the end the tire decision for hard would have been exactly the same problem,” he says. For him, the decisive mistake was not coming into the pits during the VSC.
Hamilton does not give up on the championship yet
Hamilton himself does not want to give up on his championship hopes despite the difficult weekend. “It’s not over until it’s over,” he says. At the same time, the deficit is very difficult to make up given Mercedes’ pace.
“I don’t know how many points it is now, but I’m sure it’s 60, 70. I don’t know. It’s a magnitude that, with the pace they have, is very, very difficult to catch up.”
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