Jolle wrote: ↑07 Jul 2020, 10:35
Just_a_fan wrote: ↑07 Jul 2020, 10:16
Jolle wrote: ↑07 Jul 2020, 09:47
If I would have 30+ people behind screens with real time data and projections on all the drivers and strategies, the driver, even a six time world champion, can suggest what he want but stil gets the best set determined by science.
Hamilton requested the opposite tyre from Bottas's at the pitstop. He wanted to roll the dice and see if he could win. The team elected to stick him on the same tyre. That would have been a political call, not a scientific one. Hamilton would have figured he could pass Bottas and then hold him off, which he might have been able to do, but the team chose not to let him. Even if Hamilton hadn't been able to hold off Bottas, he'd have been in no worse a position than he was sat behind him on the same tyre. At that point, they were cruising away from the rest so he'd have been confident of a second place anyway.
It's these differences that make the best drivers, the best. He's always looking for the advantage - Bottas is quick on his day but seems much happier to defer to the team.
With the big possibility throwing away an easy one two (at the time) of Hamilton’s tires would degrade so much at the end he would have to take another pitstop.
It's a dice roll. They're both pulling away from the rest, at that point, so stick on the softer tyre, pass Bottas and romp away from him. Then try to manage the end of the race or, if it doesn't work out, pit again and come back out in P2 and be no worse off. I think Hamilton would also have been thinking "if I get the softer tyre, I can get by, romp away and then if there's another safety car I have a chance of staying in the lead then too". He knows that if he pits behind Bottas and gets the same tyre then he's got a much more difficult job of passing. The team just want the 1-2 and don't care who wins - contrary to those who think Bottas is the number 2 driver. Hamilton knows he has to get ahead because they won't give it to him on the plate. So he wanted to switch strategies. He did it in Silverstone when the team were calling him in and he stayed out - because he can control that. Here, he asked but was refused.
As I said, he's always looking for the advantage, always thinking about how he can win the race even though he currently isn't in the lead. Other drivers seem more accepting of the strategy. The likes of Hamilton, Alonso, Vettel, Max are always thinking "if I roll the dice...". There is that last little bit of selfish drive in them. That's why they're so successful. That's the bit the team are fighting against when they say "no, you're getting the tyres we give you so shut up and accept your second place".
If you are more fortunate than others, build a larger table not a taller fence.