Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff declared Lewis Hamilton "saved" the Monaco Grand Prix after a wrong call on tyres.
With the pit window brought forward by a Safety Car caused by Charles Leclerc, the German manufacturer opted to put the medium tyres on their cars compared to the hards for Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel.
What resulted was Hamilton trying to nurse the tyres for 66 laps before eventually simply being at the mercy of them due to a lack of front grip.
“I just had a chat with [chief strategist] James [Vowles] and it was obviously the wrong call,” Wolff stated post-race. “We thought the tyre would make it to the end and it didn’t.
“But he [Hamilton] saved us, his driving really saved us. Something which we really need to analyse.
“What we’ve calculated is that the medium would make it if we changed through Lap 15 or 16, it would make it to the end with the right management," he explained.
“We realised 20 laps into the race that on the left front some graining appeared, Lewis started to complain about the understeer from the graining and it was clear that it would get very, very difficult to make it to the end.
“I believe that probably 20 laps to the end, he had like 0% rubber left on the tyre, he had understeer in the low speeds as you could see it around Loews, the car wouldn’t turn.”
Also Read:
In the end, Monte Carlo's narrows streets allowed Hamilton to hold on ahead of Max Verstappen but, as Wolff noted: “We were close to losing today.
"Considering that it’s a track where you can’t overtake, Verstappen still tried and could’ve made the pass.
“I think going back to normal race tracks we need to accept that we, in terms of tyre life, need to learn from Monaco and understand why that was because in this situation in Montreal you lose the race."
For Wolff and Mercedes, however, Hamilton's victory proved a fitting end to a week overshadowed by the death of their non-executive chairman Niki Lauda.
And Toto admits he will be happy to put Monte Carlo behind him
“It means a lot, and it couldn’t have been a more dramatic race after the incidents of last week," he commented.
"A world championship drive for a world champion that isn’t among us anymore. With all the drama that we’ve had, I’m relieved it’s over,” he concluded.
