2019 Mexican GP - Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez

[Nitrodaze]

The Mercedes strategist at this race should be commended. It was a steelly foresight that most of us doubted would produce a win. But it did, hats off to the chap.

Mercedes now joins Mclaren and Williams with three wins at this race. Albon impressed and Verstapenn could have won this race but an excellent recovery drive. Ferrari sort of allowed the win of this race get out of their hands. If Ferrari wants to win the 2020 season, they have to sort out their strategy department. Bottas was great this weekend as well.

Hat's off to Hamilton for making what seemed an impossible strategy work.

[gm99]

Bottas was great this weekend as well.

Seriously? Wasn't he the guy who crashed in qualifying and would probably have finished fifth if Verstappen hadn't been run off the road on the first lap and Ferrari wouldn't once again have screwed up their strategy with LeClerc?

[N. Jones]

When is Ferrari going to actually let LeClerc finish ahead of him Vettel? Is Charles going to have to qualify P5?

[zako85]

With race strategists like these, it will take Ferrari about a decade to win their next championship. In our age of Formula 1 racing, the order of the grid among the top 4 or 5 after the first lap of race will usually determine how they're going to finish the race 90 percent of time. Yet, Ferrari managed to go from 1-2 after the first lap to 2-4 at the finish.

Clearly, the two-stop strategy was very bad. This explains the slide of Albon (from third place) and Leclerc (from the lead). But if you're focusing on a one-stop strategy using two different tire compounds, it makes sense to use the faster but quicker degrading medium tire for less than half of the race, and then using the slower but longer lasting hard tire for the rest of the race. Indeed, this is how Hamilton's strategists played it. But Vettel's strategy was just strange. First he run most of the race on the quicker degrading medium tire, then he finished the race on the slower but longer lasting hard tire. No wonder he lost the race lead. Another comedy of errors for Ferrari.

[The Black Knight]

Apparently Vettel didn't see Hamilton at the start of the race when he pushed him onto the grass. I find this hard to believe but I guess we'll just have to give him the benefit of the doubt on this one.

Great job from Mercedes strategists. They stole this one from Ferrari. An equally great job from Hamilton for how he executed it.

I can't be too hard on Ferrari strategy wise for this one because at the time is seemed as though Mercedes gamble would not pay off. No one knew that the hard tyre would last so long and be so strong pace wise towards the end of its tire life. This race could have just as easily swung Ferrari's way. I think Mercedes tried it because they knew that if anyone could make it work Hamilton would so they didn't do it with Bottas for instance. This race could have been won just as easily by Ferrari as by Mercedes. Mercedes took the gamble and it paid off, but it could just as easily have been them in third and fourth positions.

Pretty dull race and I really hope they get those 2021 rules sorted soon. The sport needs cars that can overtake at the front. I fully expect Hamilton to wrap up the title on Austin. It's worth noting that Bottas must win all remaining races to win the championship so his chances of being WDC are gone. Hamilton will probably be 2019 champion come next Sunday.

[Nitrodaze]

Apparently Vettel didn't see Hamilton at the start of the race when he pushed him onto the grass. I find this hard to believe but I guess we'll just have to give him the benefit of the doubt on this one.

Great job from Mercedes strategists. They stole this one from Ferrari. An equally great job from Hamilton for how he executed it.

I can't be too hard on Ferrari strategy wise for this one because at the time is seemed as though Mercedes gamble would not pay off. No one knew that the hard tyre would last so long and be so strong pace wise towards the end of its tire life. This race could have just as easily swung Ferrari's way. I think Mercedes tried it because they knew that if anyone could make it work Hamilton would so they didn't do it with Bottas for instance. This race could have been won just as easily by Ferrari as by Mercedes. Mercedes took the gamble and it paid off, but it could just as easily have been them in third and fourth positions.

Pretty dull race and I really hope they get those 2021 rules sorted soon. The sport needs cars that can overtake at the front. I fully expect Hamilton to wrap up the title on Austin. It's worth noting that Bottas must win all remaining races to win the championship so his chances of being WDC are gone. Hamilton will probably be 2019 champion come next Sunday.

Well analysed. But the Ferrari strategist is becoming an embarrasment really. They have given away so many opportunities due to very poor strategic analysis. This race was for Ferrari to lose and that they did.

[Bagwan]

About Vettel not seeing Hamilton at the start of the race , couldn't the side bolsters now be drawn back a little , with there being the halo in place , so as to give the drivers more peripheral vision ?

The excuse ,"I didn't see him" is used too often , because they can't .

The halo runs out side the bolster , and diminishes to no gap just behind the head , so designing the bolster a little lower beside the helmet would allow for significantly more vision to the sides , seemingly without compromising safety to any degree .

[Nitrodaze]

About Vettel not seeing Hamilton at the start of the race , couldn't the side bolsters now be drawn back a little , with there being the halo in place , so as to give the drivers more peripheral vision ?

The excuse ,"I didn't see him" is used too often , because they can't .

The halo runs out side the bolster , and diminishes to no gap just behind the head , so designing the bolster a little lower beside the helmet would allow for significantly more vision to the sides , seemingly without compromising safety to any degree .

He was talking out of his arse. He heard the mercedes engine next to him and clearly could see the front wheels alongside him. He was hard but the current rules allow for this sort of hard racing.

[journeyman racer]

I've seen the onboard replays from Hamilton, and at no stage was alongside him so that he could see. I haven't seen the positioning of the beginning of this moment, but Vettel probably did unnecessarily encroach. He certainly is guilty had a "normal racing situation".

Further down the road, I reckon Hamilton should've got pinged for corralling Verstappen off. Verstappen was leading the two going into the corner, and at the apex of the kerb. There was a moment of understeer for Verstappen, but he was still ahead in the process of going through the corner, and plenty of room for Hamilton to go around. Hamilton then momentarily loses control, and in the process of regaining control, corrals Verstappen off.

I note that Nitrodaze is the only one that has praised the MB strategists. Their critics however remain quiet.