Dennis explains the strategies used in Hockenheim

McLaren team director, Ron Dennis, stated that the decision not to refuel Lewis Hamilton during the safety car intervention was made because the team did not anticipate such a long period of racing at reduced speed.

The safety car was deployed on lap 36 after Timo Glock’s Toyota crashed heavily into a wall on the pit straight following a mechanical problem with his car.

The accident left a lot of debris on the track, and the safety car remained in effect for six laps during which most of the drivers refueled.

However, Hamilton did not opt for this strategy and stayed behind the safety car until its end to then pit and refuel. He dropped to fourth place before making a stunning comeback to victory.

Dennis stated after the race that the team did not expect such a long safety car intervention, which was the main reason for not pitting Hamilton.

« I think there are two aspects. Of course, if you have one strategy with one car and another with the second, one of the decisions will be better than the other. We had put a lot of fuel in Lewis’s car, » said the Briton.

« At the time of the safety car intervention, he could easily do those few laps at a limited speed and then go through the pits. »

« And I think that this way of doing things was also good, considering the positions of Heidfeld and Piquet, who also stayed behind the safety car. Piquet made only one stop, which allowed him to secure a second place and Heidfeld was in the same situation as Hamilton, » continued Dennis.

« The other thing is that we had rhythm. For most of the race, we were between half a second and a second faster than any other driver. »

So, in hindsight, this decision regarding Hamilton might not have been the best.

The team apologized to Hamilton over the radio after the race, and Dennis praised the performance of the MP4/23.

« He had a fantastic race, there is no doubt about it. »