The game has become extremely complex and every judgment call has massive repercussions. The 2023 Singapore GP was proof of that and we are not talking about the cunning drive by Carlos Sainz. Sainz was brilliant, but he had to be at his brilliant best after Mercedes played their cards. The Brackley outfit pitted both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell under the virtual safety car (VSC) to roll the dice for a win. It did not play out as planned, but Mercedes’s farsightedness has a few fans. Including the close ally of Fernando Alonso, who also made similar moves, but Aston Martin wasn’t as prepared as Mercedes.

Alonso’s ally and Aston Martin’s brand ambassador Pedro de la Rosa couldn’t help but compliment Mercedes’ tactical masterclass, which fell just short of a race win. The German team was the only one on the grid with a set of new medium tries. So during the VSC, with 17 laps to go, Mercedes rolled the dice, pitted both cars, and lost track position all for their shot at a race win. It did not turn out like that, but Mercedes’s attempt has de la Rosa impressed, especially with Aston Martin shortsighted in comparison.

When asked to comment on the scenario on the latest F1 Nation podcast, de la Rosa said, “Well, it was the right call if you wanted to go for a race win. Since lap 2, I think George (Russell) was saying on the radio he wants to win this one, no? They did a fantastic job just keeping those extra sets of new medium tires that no one had. I mean Fernando pitted at the end as well and we didn’t… no one had a new medium, so everyone that pitted at the end had to go for a used set of softs. I think strategically that worked very well.”

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The rivalry between the two world champions is never-ending, and Singapore would’ve given Alonso a lot more motivation to chase the Brit down. However, as pointed out, Hamilton has always had an edge over Alonso.

F1 expert reveals how and where Lewis Hamilton had an edge over Fernando Alonso from the very start

Alonso and Hamilton’s rivalry dates back to 2007, perhaps the oldest and longest-running in the sport’s history. However, the two have only really gone head-to-head in their first and last season together.

Hamilton knew he had nothing to lose, as he recently pointed out, purring himself in Russell’s shoes, during his rookie season. This was the reason he gave it his all and beat the two-time world champion, Fernando Alonso. However, looking a bit closer, Peter Windsor revealed the area in which Hamilton excelled and had the beating of Alonso.

While discussing the recognition for young talents in F1 on his YouTube video, Windsor said, “Obviously, with McLaren, it worked out really well [for Hamilton]. First season there, he was shocking Fernando Alonso at how quick he was straight away, and actually doing things a little bit better in his first season in a couple of areas than Fernando. Like high-speed braking. Good example.”

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We are not sure if we will see the two battle it out on the track again like we did in the first half of the season. However, we still have 2024 to manifest this scenario and settle the score once and for all.