VSC ruined six-lap shootout for Dutch GP win, says Mercedes
Mercedes believes Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen would have faced a six-lap shootout for victory at Zandvoort had it not been for the Virtual Safety Car period.
Mercedes made an ambitious one-stop strategy work by fitting Lewis Hamilton and George Russell with the hard at the end of their first stint, bringing them into contention for victory.
Red Bull committed to a two-stop strategy with Verstappen, who was set to emerge from the pits behind both Mercedes cars after making his final pit stop.
But a VSC called following Yuki Tsunoda's stoppage on lap 44 gave Verstappen the chance to pit and retain track position ahead of Hamilton and Russell, prompting Mercedes to bring its drivers in again.
Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff revealed after the race that the team's predictions suggested victory was possible had it not been for the VSC, owing to the gap to Verstappen and the need to pass two cars, as well as the reduced degradation of the hard tyre.
"The simulation says that Max would have come out eight seconds behind us with 20 laps to go," explained Wolff.
"He would have probably pitted on the hard at that time and I think we would have had a fair shot at the win.
"The race planner said the win is on. Tight, but on."
Asked when Verstappen would have caught up, Wolff replied: "It would have said about six laps from the end. It was very close."
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB18
Photo by: Erik Junius
While Mercedes thought the VSC denied it a chance of victory, Red Bull claimed it was in fact the bigger loser from Tsunoda's stoppage as it scuppered its strategy plans.
The team had intended to keep Verstappen out long enough so he could take soft tyres for the final stint after the Dutchman stressed he did not want to use the hards.
"Max was conserving tyres, so he wasn't killing the tyres and the tyres that came off his car were still in pretty decent shape," explained Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.
"That gave us the confidence to go back onto the soft tyre. But the Virtual Safety Car couldn't have really come at a worse moment. That's at the point we had to convert."
Verstappen said the timing of the VSC was "a bit unfortunate" and that he was "clearly lacking a little bit of pace" on the hard tyre compared to both Mercedes, which switched to mediums.
"I think the gap was still big enough to manage it to the end," said Verstappen.
"But they would have definitely gotten a lot closer than I think the 11-and-a-half seconds it was at the time."
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Has Alonso made the right choice gambling on Aston Martin F1?
Has Alonso made the right choice gambling on Aston Martin F1? Has Alonso made the right choice gambling on Aston Martin F1?
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
Hamilton: Mercedes needs best ever six months of F1 development to catch Red Bull
Hamilton: Mercedes needs best ever six months of F1 development to catch Red Bull Hamilton: Mercedes needs best ever six months of F1 development to catch Red Bull
You can buy Toby Price's Finke truck
You can buy Toby Price's Finke truck You can buy Toby Price's Finke truck
Hirakawa could quit Super Formula to focus on McLaren F1 duties
Hirakawa could quit Super Formula to focus on McLaren F1 duties Hirakawa could quit Super Formula to focus on McLaren F1 duties
2024 Supercars grid almost finalised
2024 Supercars grid almost finalised 2024 Supercars grid almost finalised
How football has posed difficult questions for F1
How football has posed difficult questions for F1 How football has posed difficult questions for F1
The fans that offer a ray of light in an increasingly partisan F1
The fans that offer a ray of light in an increasingly partisan F1 The fans that offer a ray of light in an increasingly partisan F1
Japanese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023
Japanese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023 Japanese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023
How Verstappen’s crushing Japanese GP win showed Singapore was a blip
How Verstappen’s crushing Japanese GP win showed Singapore was a blip How Verstappen’s crushing Japanese GP win showed Singapore was a blip
Why the reality of F1 engineering debriefs isn't what Drive to Survive makes out
Why the reality of F1 engineering debriefs isn't what Drive to Survive makes out Why the reality of F1 engineering debriefs isn't what Drive to Survive makes out
How Tsunoda has eliminated a crucial F1 limitation
How Tsunoda has eliminated a crucial F1 limitation How Tsunoda has eliminated a crucial F1 limitation
Why precedent doesn’t favour Massa’s F1 legal challenge
Why precedent doesn’t favour Massa’s F1 legal challenge Why precedent doesn’t favour Massa’s F1 legal challenge
Why Sainz’s Singapore F1 success was not just about DRS genius
Why Sainz’s Singapore F1 success was not just about DRS genius Why Sainz’s Singapore F1 success was not just about DRS genius
Subscribe and access Motorsport.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.