Lewis Hamilton still does not understand why Ferrari called him back to the pits at the end of the Hungarian Grand Prix, a decision that ultimately cost him a podium.
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Lewis Hamilton left the Hungarian Grand Prix with many regrets.
While he was in second place after Oscar Piastri’s retirement, the Ferrari driver was called back to the pits under a virtual safety car to put on soft tires.
A decision that put him behind Max Verstappen, before he also had to yield his position to Kimi Antonelli, with footage showing that the Mercedes driver had passed him at the pit exit.
After the race, the seven-time world champion admitted he still did not understand this strategic choice.
“I don’t really know why we stopped at the end of the race.”
“I would never have stopped”
Hamilton explains that he was instructed to pit at the very last moment.
Caught off guard, he did not have time to discuss this decision with his team.
“I got the call just before entering the pit lane. So I didn’t have time to debate it.”
The Briton insists he would never have accepted this stop if he had known it would cost him positions.
“I would never have stopped if it meant giving up my position on track. I actually thought that wouldn’t be the case.”
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The podium still seemed within reach
Hamilton acknowledges that Max Verstappen, equipped with fresher tires, would probably have eventually overtaken him.
However, he believes he had a good chance of keeping at least third place until the checkered flag.
“I think Max would probably have passed us. He was on fresher tires and was coming back very fast.”
He adds, however:
“I might have managed to keep second place. But the most likely scenario was third place, which would have been a much better result.”
A double blow for Ferrari
Ferrari’s strategy ultimately proved even more costly.
During his stop, Hamilton was penalized five seconds for speeding in the pit lane, a penalty that dropped him to fifth place behind his teammate Charles Leclerc.
Instead of preserving a podium, the Briton thus lost valuable championship points.
He now wants to understand what motivated his team’s decision.
“I was second. I should have stayed out. I’m going to check with the team why they made me pit.”
This new frustration extends a series of strategic decisions questioned at Ferrari, as the Scuderia will seek to learn lessons from this Grand Prix before the championship resumes after the summer break.
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