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via Getty

via Getty

Lewis Hamilton started the Imola Grand Prix at P2 on the grid, but fell behind Max Verstappen in the first lap. However, he eventually managed to win the race and record his 93rd Formula 1 race win.

Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes F1’s trackside engineer director, answered some of the fans’ questions in a race debrief post the race. In the YouTube video, Andrew explained Hamilton’s strategy that allowed him to win the race last weekend.

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The strategy that won Lewis Hamilton the race

Andrew explained that it was decided before the race itself that if Max comes behind them, they will have to react to Max Verstappen’s pit stop strategy. Therefore, as the race leader, Valtteri Bottas came in first as a reaction to Verstappen’s pit stop.

In this instance, the best thing for Lewis Hamilton was to stay out for as long as he could. He also needed to try to gain as much as he could on those tires.

Andrew explained, “If we would have stopped him straight away, he would’ve dropped behind Valtteri and he would’ve dropped behind Max.

He clarified that there were two essential benefits of staying out and going longer. “First is if there is a VSC or as safety car, then you take the lead.

“The other benefit is that the guys that have stopped quicker that are on fresh rubber, and what would actually happen is they would just move into an undercut, so that when the lead car stops, he drops behind.”

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He explained that Valtteri was a little slower due to the debris stuck under his car. As a result, Lewis was able to go quicker than Valtteri and Max. He stayed out to build that pit stop-gap required to drop out in front of them.

The strategy worked perfectly as Lewis Hamilton received the perfect virtual safety car when Esteban Ocon had to retire due to transmission problems. The incident happened just as Hamilton was approaching the pit entry and some traffic to lap.

This allowed him to maintain a comfortable lead as he dropped out in front of the grid after his pit stop.

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Lewis Hamilton will be looking forward to taking this freight momentum to Istanbul next weekend. A win at the Turkish Grand Prix will secure his 2020 drivers world championship.

Read More – Mercedes Giving Lewis Hamilton a Different Strategy for Imola “Completely Fair” Insists Bottas