Mercedes’ Tyre Strategy Secures Hamilton’s Ninth Silverstone Win
In a thrilling British GT race at Silverstone, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has revealed that the team’s superior tyre degradation was the key factor in securing Lewis Hamilton’s record-breaking ninth victory at the iconic circuit.
Hamilton capitalised on an undercut with a late crossover to slicks when the track dried, allowing him to overhaul McLaren’s Lando Norris and claim the win. Wolff explained that the decision to put Hamilton on the new Soft tyres, which Mercedes had saved for the race, proved crucial.
“We didn’t have the Medium, that was very simple for us,” Wolff said. “We didn’t believe the Hard was the right tyre to go.”
However, the Austrian expressed surprise at how competitive the Hard compound was on Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, as Mercedes’ pre-race simulations had suggested otherwise.
“In hindsight, probably the right order of priority would be Medium, Hard and Soft. That’s what would have been the quickest,” Wolff admitted. “But today, we saved it at the end. I think our tyre deg was good compared to the McLarens. And that secured the victory.”
Wolff praised the communication between the pit wall and Hamilton, which allowed them to execute the vital pit stop on Lap 38 that opened the door for the seven-time champion’s triumph.
“The communication with the driver today was very good, and we kept the channel open over time,” he explained.
However, Wolff was disappointed with the water leak issue that curtailed polesitter George Russell’s involvement, with the British driver still waiting for his first podium finish on home soil.
“It’s just a shame that we didn’t have, with George, he had the pace, and letting him down, here with a, with a water leak, it’s just not great,” Wolff added. “But I think George is going to win more [races in the future].”
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