Mercedes pushed Lewis Hamilton in final laps amid penalty fears
ByAutoSport
Updated 23/07/2018 at 13:08 GMT
The Mercedes Formula 1 team repeatedly urged Lewis Hamilton to push in the final laps of the German Grand Prix in case his pit entry incident incurred a penalty.
Race winner Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP celebrates in parc ferme during the Formula One Grand Prix of Germany at Hockenheimring on July 22, 2018 in Hockenheim, Germany.
Image credit: Eurosport
Although the world champion was ultimately given a reprimand for aborting his entry into the pits with 15 laps to go, radio communications with the pitwall revealed how seriously Mercedes took the risk of a penalty.
It had already called off Hamilton's fight with team-mate Valtteri Bottas, and then denied Hamilton's request to turn his engine down in the closing stages.
Instead Hamilton's engineer Peter Bonnington pushed Hamilton to keep building up a gap over Bottas right the way to the finish line.
Those messages alerted Hamilton who, just after taking the chequered flag, queried whether he had already been given a penalty.
Speaking about the reasoning for Hamilton being urged to extend his advantage over Bottas, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said: "We were covering all bases. You know these things. [There] is pretty much room for interpretation.
"We just wanted to disappear in the distance as much as we could."
Here is an edited transcript of how conversations between Hamilton and Bonnington played out in the closing laps:
- LAP 52: Vettel crashes in the stadium section
- PETER BONNINGTON: So Vettel off. Yellow, yellow. Yellow, yellow. Caution. Caution. Vettel off. So yellow, yellow. Yellow, yellow.
- Pause
- PB: So box, box. Box, box. Get the gap. So gap to Valtteri.
- Hamilton pits but makes last-second dive back onto track
- LEWIS HAMILTON: Kimi is staying out.
- PB: Stay out, stay out. In, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in.
- LH: Hey man.
- PB: Sorry mate. Just go, go.
- Lap 53
- LH: I was at the entry, man.
- Following Raikkonen behind the safety car
- LH: Are we in trouble?
- PB: Negative, negative. So staying out. Staying out.
- Hamilton discusses tyre temperatures and strategy during safety car period. Race restarts on lap 58
- Lap 59
- PB: Strat mode 3. Strat mode 3.
- PB: Gap to Valtteri at 1.7.
- Lap 60
- PB: DRS has been enabled.
- Lap 61
- PB: Gap to Valtteri 2.4. Seven laps remaining.
- Lap 62
- PB: Gap to Valtteri 3 seconds.
- Lap 63
- PB: Gap to Valtteri at 2.8.
- PB: Your pack is now fully charged.
- Lap 64
- PB: Four laps remaining. Threat of rain to the north is building.
- PB: Gap to Valtteri at 3.9.
- LH: Can I turn the engine up [radio interference makes message unclear]?
- PB: Negative Lewis. Let's just stay where we are. That threat of rain is still there.
- Lap 65
- PB: Lewis. Go Strat mode 3, Strat mode 3. Keep building that gap. Currently four seconds.
- Further discussions on the weather
- Lap 66
- LH: Two more laps?
- PB: Two more laps. Just keep building that gap.
- PB: Strat mode 5 to the end.
- PB: Strat mode 5 Lewis. Currently in 6. Strat mode 5.
- LH: I want to save the engine.
- PB: We need you to build the gap.
- Lap 67
- PB: Strat mode 8. Strat mode 8. Just to use the energy.
- Hamilton enters the stadium section on the last lap
- PB: Lewis, keep pushing to the line. Keep pushing to the line.
- Hamilton exits final corner
- PB: Keep pushing to the line.
- Hamilton takes chequered flag
- PB: Get in there Lewis! Miracles do happen, mate.
- LH: Do I have a penalty?
- PB: Negative, negative. We are just covering bases mate.
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