Lewis Hamilton Weighs In On McLaren Blunder As He Dissects Disappointing Results

Chris Ladd | Sep 1, 2024

Nov 15, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Mercedes AMG Petronas driver Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain speaks during media availabilities at Las Vegas Strip Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Lewis Hamilton believes that McLaren could have secured victory at the Italian Grand Prix if they had managed their pace and tyres more effectively. McLaren started strong, with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris leading after the first round of pit stops.

However, after Norris had an off-track moment at Turn 4, McLaren opted to switch both drivers to a two-stop strategy, which allowed Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to gain track position and ultimately win the race. Hamilton suggested that if McLaren had slowed down early on and conserved their tyres, they could have comfortably won the race.

“McLaren had the pace but pushed too hard,” Hamilton explained, via Crash.net. “They were doing much too fast laps, early on. They killed their tires.

“I guess they planned for a two-stop, that’s why they were pushing so hard. If they backed off longer they could’ve made a one-stop," Hamilton added. “I was getting the information about the times they were doing. There is no way the tires would last, at that pace. Charles did a fantastic job, well done to him.”

Hamilton finished in fifth place, ahead of both Red Bull cars and his teammate George Russell. The race was relatively straightforward for Hamilton, as he lacked the pace to challenge the top two teams. He later revealed that Mercedes initially planned a one-stop strategy but had to adapt due to tire degradation issues.

“We were planning to do a one-stop but my tyres were dropping off, just trying to hold onto Carlos,” he added. “Definitely unexpected. But they had an upgrade so it was inevitable that they would be quick compared to us. “I wish we were in the fight but onwards and upwards.”

The Mercedes driver explained that the lack of pace compared to Ferrari at the Italian Grand Prix was largely due to Ferrari's recent upgrades. While Mercedes had good reliability, they struggled to match Ferrari's speed, which was evident even if he had started further up the grid. Hamilton pointed out that Ferrari's upgrade gave them an edge, but he remained hopeful that future races would favor Mercedes when they bring their own updates.

“They had an upgrade this weekend and we didn’t. That’s how it goes. There will be a race where we have an upgrade and they don’t, and we’ll be stronger, hopefully.

“It is very, very fine, small margins between all of us. Unfortunately today we didn’t have the pace, and we had more deg. I could have done a one-stop but I would’ve come out in the same place.”