Mercedes achieved ‘perfection’ at Chinese Grand Prix after taking huge risk with Lewis Hamilton
At the 2019 Chinese Grand Prix, Mercedes achieved one of the greatest technical feats in modern F1 history. The Shanghai International Circuit has always balanced on a knife edge between a one stop and two stop race, with weather and track temperature being the determining factors. Mercedes might not be the force they once were with Hamilton and Bottas, but their strategy prowess won’t be forgottenAFP or licensors With drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas in first and second, respectively, the heat was on. On lap 34 of 56, Red Bull star Max Verstappen pitted for a second time after the team spotted a chance to reignite their hopes of getting on the podium. A lap later Ferrari responded and pitted Sebastian Vettel to counteract the bold move from Red Bull that had forced cars ahead to consider a two stop strategy. The sudden strategy change from Red Bull and Ferrari created a domino effect that brought doubt into the Mercedes garage. The Silver Arrows Team Principal Toto Wolf had to assess whether his drivers would last on their tyres, or whether an ominous Verstappen and Vettel would catch up and overtake. The undercut from Red Bull jeopardised Mercedes duo Hamilton and Bottas, with just seconds splitting them. Following his second pit stop, the resurgent Vettel was now applying pressure on Bottas with his fresh tire advantage. However, if Mercedes pitted the Finn to defend the Vettel attack then they were at risk of jeopardising race leader Lewis Hamilton. The Brit would have been a sitting duck to a barrage of attacks from his teammate and rivals. On lap 36 Mercedes made the brave call and decided to pit both drivers with the gap between Hamilton and Bottas down to 5.5 seconds on pit entry. Hamilton was first into the pits for MercedesSky Sports Hamilton was quickly sorted out with new tyres and moved onSky Sports And Bottas arrived almost immediately on the sceneSky Sports And after some TLC from the mechanics, Bottas was off tooSky Sports The team had brought into action a daring double stack manoeuvre. “Okay, don’t make me lose time,” Bottas replied over the radio. The pit crew flooded the pitlane with double sets of tires wrapped up in blankets waiting to pull off the audacious move. Hamilton’s pitstop took 2.9 seconds, 3.4 seconds later Bottas arrived in the same spot with his pit taking just 2.6 seconds. “Well, they feel the need to take the risk of a double stack,” chimed in ex-F1 driver Martin Brundle. While David Croft added on Sky Sports: “Well they are double stacking because Bottas is coming into the pits, and he’s waiting and they have got this absolutely spot on. View Tweet: https://twitter.com/MercedesAMGF1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw “Valtteri Bottas didn’t have to slow down any more than he was required to with the 18km/hr speed limit. “That was proper perfection. Just when one went out, another was ready to come back in again. Like a production line.” Brundle added: “The choreography of that was sensational.” The pair sailed off to finish the race in the top two spots ahead of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. The heroics would sum up the season as Mercedes recorded a sixth constructors’ championship and then extend that run to eight as the longest in the sport’s history. Yet even when that run came to an end in 2022, the team from Woking continued to show their pitstop and strategy prowess, and do to this day. AFPBottas and winner Hamilton were able to celebrate in style after the magnificent move[/caption] The signs are that after three years in the wilderness the Silver Arrows could be back getting regular podiums, with some rating their car as the second-fastest on the grid. That came to fruition at the Australia season opener when George Russell finished third and rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli came home fourth. Now back in China, the place where mistakes are punished, Mercedes can prove that they can still be the standard-bearer when it comes to technical perfection in F1.
At the 2019 Chinese Grand Prix, Mercedes achieved one of the greatest technical feats in modern F1 history.
The Shanghai International Circuit has always balanced on a knife edge between a one stop and two stop race, with weather and track temperature being the determining factors.
With drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas in first and second, respectively, the heat was on.
On lap 34 of 56, Red Bull star Max Verstappen pitted for a second time after the team spotted a chance to reignite their hopes of getting on the podium.
A lap later Ferrari responded and pitted Sebastian Vettel to counteract the bold move from Red Bull that had forced cars ahead to consider a two stop strategy.
The sudden strategy change from Red Bull and Ferrari created a domino effect that brought doubt into the Mercedes garage.
The Silver Arrows Team Principal Toto Wolf had to assess whether his drivers would last on their tyres, or whether an ominous Verstappen and Vettel would catch up and overtake.
The undercut from Red Bull jeopardised Mercedes duo Hamilton and Bottas, with just seconds splitting them.
Following his second pit stop, the resurgent Vettel was now applying pressure on Bottas with his fresh tire advantage.
However, if Mercedes pitted the Finn to defend the Vettel attack then they were at risk of jeopardising race leader Lewis Hamilton.
The Brit would have been a sitting duck to a barrage of attacks from his teammate and rivals.
On lap 36 Mercedes made the brave call and decided to pit both drivers with the gap between Hamilton and Bottas down to 5.5 seconds on pit entry.
The team had brought into action a daring double stack manoeuvre.
“Okay, don’t make me lose time,” Bottas replied over the radio.
The pit crew flooded the pitlane with double sets of tires wrapped up in blankets waiting to pull off the audacious move.
Hamilton’s pitstop took 2.9 seconds, 3.4 seconds later Bottas arrived in the same spot with his pit taking just 2.6 seconds.
“Well, they feel the need to take the risk of a double stack,” chimed in ex-F1 driver Martin Brundle.
While David Croft added on Sky Sports: “Well they are double stacking because Bottas is coming into the pits, and he’s waiting and they have got this absolutely spot on.
“Valtteri Bottas didn’t have to slow down any more than he was required to with the 18km/hr speed limit.
“That was proper perfection. Just when one went out, another was ready to come back in again. Like a production line.”
Brundle added: “The choreography of that was sensational.”
The pair sailed off to finish the race in the top two spots ahead of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
The heroics would sum up the season as Mercedes recorded a sixth constructors’ championship and then extend that run to eight as the longest in the sport’s history.
Yet even when that run came to an end in 2022, the team from Woking continued to show their pitstop and strategy prowess, and do to this day.
The signs are that after three years in the wilderness the Silver Arrows could be back getting regular podiums, with some rating their car as the second-fastest on the grid.
That came to fruition at the Australia season opener when George Russell finished third and rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli came home fourth.
Now back in China, the place where mistakes are punished, Mercedes can prove that they can still be the standard-bearer when it comes to technical perfection in F1.
