Lewis Hamilton says he’s “really happy” to have made a “perfect” call to stop for intermediate tyres during the British Grand Prix, a decision which ultimately handed him victory.
The Mercedes driver was caught by team-mate Nico Rosberg, but chose to dive into the pits, allowing Rosberg to go into the lead. Just as Hamilton entered the pit lane, the rain intensified and his call for intermediate tyres gave him the advantage.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admitted after the race that the call was 100 per cent Hamilton’s, who said he urged his team to let him switch tyres because he was struggling for pace on his worn slicks.
“The rain came and I lost temperature in my front tyres,” he explained.
“It’s always trickier for the guy in the lead, you are the first one to get to it and it’s questionable how much risk you take.
“I think it’s the first time I made the perfectly right choice to say I was coming in, because I could see the rain coming more.
“I’ve never had that before and I feel really happy about that.
“[It was] one of the trickiest races I’ve had here – 2008 was worse, but [it was] still very, very tricky.”
Rosberg believed the call was incorrect at the time, but later admitted it was the right choice.
“Lewis boxed and I was pretty sure it was the wrong call. It was still touch and go at that time, so I was actually quite happy that he boxed.
“But it was the right call in the end – it started raining more on that lap, so that was it.”
