Lewis Hamilton has disclosed talks with Ferrari regarding his disagreement with strategy at last week’s Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix, in which he finished in fourth place.
Hamilton’s race was largely uneventful, managing to utilise enough newfound performance in the SF-25 to finish comfortably ahead of George Russell’s Mercedes.
But he could not find enough to challenge team-mate Charles Leclerc, who finished third.
The talking point of Hamilton’s race was a contentious disagreement after being called in for tyres with 20 laps left, prompting Hamilton to voice his wish to stay out, but ultimately, he complied.
Ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix, Hamilton revealed to media including Motorsport Week that he had held further discussions with the team about strategic calls, and his keenness to not be placed on the same strategy as Leclerc.
“Yes. Even just probably an hour ago I brought it up,” he said.
“I mentioned it after the race and then we’ve had time to reflect on it. I think the team’s view was to make sure they secured third and fourth, which is totally fine.
“But I said I’m not here to start fourth and finish fourth. I’m racing for every little bit that we can gain.
“In that scenario they had us exactly on the same strategy. I think we both went medium, hard, medium.
“I would have done medium, medium, hard so at least I was offset at the end. I never want to do the same thing as my team-mate, ever.
“In that last stint for example, we were not under pressure from the cars behind. They said ‘you would have been overtaken by Charles at the end’.
“I said ‘well, there could have been a Safety Car’ and at that point there was no risk in taking a gamble.
“I said I don’t want to get to a point where I’m ignoring you, so what we’re doing is working on our communication.
?We’re still getting to know each other and how we like to operate and that’s understood.”
Hamilton relying on weather to help him to further Silverstone success
Hamilton also reiterated his love of Silverstone, a track on which he has won nine times, in front of constantly adoring crowds.
When asked if the magic that Silverstone can produced – or, indeed, some rain – Hamilton replied: “I’m hoping and praying, yes. There’s always magic at Silverstone.
“I don’t really have to hope for that in the sense that the crowd is incredible. It’s a very, very special place and it always provides a special race, one way or another.
“But I’m hoping that weather, all sorts of things can help us because we’re naturally not as quick as McLaren. If it just stays dry then they should walk the race.
“I don’t really look at those stats and things so it’s not something that effects me, or that I think about.
“Of course we’re at Silverstone. It would be a great place to change that, and that’s what we’re working towards.”
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