Mercedes explains F1 strategy decision that left Hamilton furious in Dutch GP
Toto Wolff says his Mercedes Formula 1 team pushed to take risks with its Dutch Grand Prix strategy in order to fight for victory, rather than settle for a safe result.


The Mercedes team principal explained his squad's call to leave Lewis Hamilton out on medium tyres in the lead while Red Bull pitted Max Verstappen for softs under a late safety car in the Zandvoort race.
Under the same safety car, Mercedes pitted George Russell for softs, putting him behind Verstappen on track in third place, to split its strategy for the sprint to the finish.
The call backfired for Hamilton, who dropped from first to fourth, as Verstappen charged to victory ahead of Russell and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
The outcome left Hamilton furious over team radio at the Mercedes strategy call, and immediately after the race, Wolff spoke to his driver to say he would explain the decision not to pit him for softs.
Wolff sympathised with Hamilton but confirmed rather than a strategy error, Mercedes wanted to go for a risky strategy to give it a chance to fight for the victory rather than settle for a conservative result.
"It is highly emotional for the driver, you are that close to be racing for the win and then you've been eaten up, so it is clear that every emotion comes out," Wolff said on Sky Sports F1.
"You, as the driver in the cockpit, you are alone and you don't see what is happening. We discussed at the moment, are we taking risks for the race win? Yes, we are taking risks.
"He had a tyre that was five laps old, the medium, holding position was the right thing to do. At the end it didn't work out for him but I'd rather take the risk to win the race with Lewis rather than finish second and third.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W13
Photo by: Alastair Staley / Motorsport Images
"Lewis was ahead, so you always have a little bit longer with the call [for those behind]. You can do two things; you can either pit Lewis and lose track position against Verstappen and leave George out screwed, or you can pit both, screwed. So it was worth taking the risk.
"If you do that [leave both out] you have both on an old tyre, but this would have guaranteed second and third and we wouldn't have raced for the win with Lewis."
Wolff also didn't think pitting both drivers for fresh softs would've worked as it meant both Hamilton and Russell would have been behind Verstappen at the restart and on the same tyres unable to attack the Red Bull driver.
"I think the Red Bull has so much straightline speed that all on the same tyre out there is no way we are winning," he added.
"I think we can look at the positives and this is what I just discussed with Lewis, there is so much more positive to take.
"Of course second and fourth is annoying but we felt we had a good race car here. That's what is most important and you've got to take risks where we are."

F1 Dutch GP: Verstappen wins thrilling home race from Russell and Leclerc
2022 F1 World Championship standings after the Dutch GP

Latest news
Winward Mercedes replaces injured Auer with Morad for Daytona 24
Lucas Auer will sit out the Daytona 24 Hours after suffering back injuries in practice and will be replaced by GT4 racer Daniel Morad at Winward Mercedes.
The big question concerning IMSA's new LMDh cars on their debut
The new LMDh era finally begins in earnest this weekend with the IMSA SportsCar Championship curtain-raiser at Daytona. The prospect of multiple marques going all guns blazing for victory over 24 hours is a salivating one for fans of sportscar racing, but what are the chances of the new hybrid machines (known as GTP cars Stateside) proving reliable enough to win on debut?
WRC developing experimental propulsion class
The World Rally Championship is developing a new demonstration class that will allow manufacturers and teams to develop and experiment with alternative propulsion methods.
Podcast: Daytona 24 Hours – the dawn of a new era
Whenever we see drivers climbing into the race seat of a new set of cars at the start of a new season, the atmosphere is filled with anticipation. And that’s the prospect this weekend.
Why Vasseur relishes 'feeling the pressure' as Ferrari's F1 boss
OPINION: Fred Vasseur has spent only a few weeks as team principal for the Ferrari Formula 1 team, but is already intent on taking the Scuderia back to the very top. And despite it being arguably the most demanding job in motorsport, the Frenchman is relishing the challenge
The crucial tech changes F1 teams must adapt to in 2023
Changes to the regulations for season two of Formula 1's ground-effects era aim to smooth out last year’s troubles and shut down loopholes. But what areas have been targeted, and what impact will this have?
Are these the 50 quickest drivers in F1 history?
Who are the quickest drivers in Formula 1 history? LUKE SMITH asked a jury of experienced and international panel of experts and F1 insiders. Some of them have worked closely with F1’s fastest-ever drivers – so who better to vote on our all-time top 50? We’re talking all-out speed here rather than size of trophy cabinet, so the results may surprise you…
One easy way the FIA could instantly improve F1
OPINION: During what is traditionally a very quiet time of year in the Formula 1 news cycle, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been generating headlines. He’s been commenting on massive topics in a championship that loves them, but also addressing necessary smaller changes too. Here we suggest a further refinement that would be a big boon to fans
How can McLaren keep hold of Norris?
Lando Norris is no longer the young cheeky-chappy at McLaren; he’s now the established ace. And F1's big guns will come calling if the team can’t give him a competitive car. Here's what the team needs to do to retain its prize asset
What difference did F1's fastest pitstops of 2022 make?
While a quick pitstop can make all the difference to the outcome of a Formula 1 race, most team managers say consistency is more important than pure speed. MATT KEW analyses the fastest pitstops from last season to see which ones – if any – made a genuine impact
When F1 ‘holiday’ races kept drivers busy through the winter
Modern Formula 1 fans have grown accustomed to a lull in racing during winter in the northern hemisphere. But, as MAURICE HAMILTON explains, there was a time when teams headed south of the equator rather than bunkering down in the factory. And why not? There was fun to be had, money to be made and reputations to forge…
What Porsche social media frenzy says about F1’s manufacturer allure
Porsche whipped up a frenzy thanks to a cryptic social media post last week and, although it turned out to be a false alarm, it also highlighted why manufacturers remain such an important element in terms of the attraction that they bring to F1. It is little wonder that several other manufacturers are bidding for a slice of the action
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.