Brundle Believes Lewis Hamilton Is Given More Flexibility With Strategies Compared to Bottas

During the race in Imola, Mercedes gave Lewis Hamilton the green flag to extend his first stint on the Medium tires, which then turned to be the right choice. Unfortunately, on the other hand, Valtteri Bottas was obliged to pit in as early as lap 18, which eventually cost him the victory.

Hence, Martin Brundle felt that Mercedes are way more flexible with Lewis in changing his strategies. “I do feel he’s given more latitude than Valtteri on such change of plan,” he said.

Considering the situation, Mercedes made the right decision with Bottas. His fight was with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Red Bull’s attempt for an under-cut forced Mercedes to bring the race leader into the pits in the following lap.

Luckily, both of their stops turned out to be a boon for Lewis. The Briton used the opportunity to pace himself extremely well with the drivers behind, despite being on older tires. Eventually, he held his position to cross the line in P1.

Meanwhile, Bottas would still be relieved that he was able to see the checkered flag in P2. Because he was driving around the circuit with significant barge board and floor damage to his car.

Brundle believes Lewis Hamilton can generate more opportunities for himself

Lewis Hamilton has been exceptional when it comes to tire management. It was noticeable during the race at Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. The Briton managed to create his own chances throughout the race that eventually gifted him the win.

“But Lewis also has the tire management and pace to generate the opportunity and make it stick,” Brundle said.

Since the last three race weekends, Lewis has been miles ahead of his teammate when it comes to the race pace. But he was constantly on the back foot through the practice and qualifying sessions.

This trend is also most likely to continue over the rest of this season. Because Bottas is seemingly lacking that confidence he had through the early part of this season.

Hence, considering Lewis’s top-notch form, will he be able to secure his record-equaling 7th world championship title at the Turkish Grand Prix next weekend?