A few laps after catching Fernando Alonso and challenging him for 4th place in the Australian race, Hamilton burst at his race engineer for a “freaking terrible decision” – calling him twice to the pits for a new set of tires. Before pitting for the 2nd time, Ham was in 3rd place, whereas after catching Alonso he was unable to pass him with 7 laps remaining – although recuperating almost 25 seconds in about 15 laps.
“Second pit stop ruined a perfect 1-2 for McLaren” said Hamilton after the race.
His team principal soon went in front of the media and explained his team's decision, by saying that Hamilton's tires would have worn off eventually if he hadn't come to the pit for a new set of tires. A few days later, Ham publicly acknowledged his team's strategy, but never fully apologized for his declarations in Melbourne.
“My heart was so into the race, my adrenalin was sky-rocketing and so you don't always say the right things when you get out the car. There was no need to make up, we're a team and we win and lose together. We took the decision and whether it was right or wrong doesn't really matter,” said the 2008 F1 champion.
Hamilton eventually finished the race in 6th place, being tipped in the rear of his car by Mark Webber and thrown into the gravel. He managed to get his car back to the track in a matter of seconds, losing only one position to Nico Rosberg.
Google News