David Coulthard does not back Lewis Hamilton’s Spa strategy frustration, making a comparison to the McLaren Hungary team orders drama.
Hamilton cut a frustrated figure after the Belgian Grand Prix having looked on course to take the chequered flag, only for Mercedes team-mate George Russell to call for and successfully execute the one-stop.
David Coulthard’s ‘frank’ take on disgruntled Lewis Hamilton
Russell would hold off Hamilton to the end, and though he was later disqualified for an underweight Mercedes W15, giving Hamilton the win after all, Hamilton had expressed his frustration – before news of Russell’s DQ arrived – over not being offered the one-stop option, feeling he had tyre life left in every stint.
But, speaking on the Formula For Success podcast, Coulthard argued that Hamilton should not feel hard done by because his team-mate figured out a faster way to the finish line, as “that’s the way it should be”, rather than the lead driver on the track getting preference.
He compared the situation to what went down in Hungary, where McLaren undercut leader Oscar Piastri with his team-mate Lando Norris, before ordering Norris to concede P1 back to Piastri. That did not sit well with Coulthard.
“Not all well with Lewis after the race,” said Coulthard.
“Before we found out that George was underweight, you can tell Lewis was not really happy that strategically he’d been outmanoeuvred by his team-mate.
“I don’t fully get that. I don’t know if there was some kind of agreement between them that they would work for the greater good of the team, but Lewis did not look at all happy immediately after the Grand Prix being interviewed in the pen.
“He was almost saying, ‘Well, I’ll discuss this with the team behind closed doors and try and understand how did I get outstrategised by my team-mate?’
“To be frank, I think that that’s the way it should be. If a team-mate and an engineer on the opposing car can find a better way to get to the end of the Grand Prix, I don’t think it should be after you just because you’re the lead driver.
“That was what we saw in Budapest, where there was that really disappointing switcheroo.”
Nonetheless, with Hamilton ultimately claiming a second win from his last three races, Coulthard believes the seven-time World Champion is “back at his brilliant best”.
However, Coulthard is convinced that part of Hamilton’s mind will be on his F1 2025 move to Ferrari, yet with Mercedes having won three of the last four races, he believes a title challenge after the summer break is not out of the question.
“But he seems to be back at his brilliant best as he gets into a sort of countdown to leaving Mercedes,” Coulthard continued.
“I’m trying to put myself in his situation, where one part of his mind will be on Ferrari, it’s got to be. Instead of him sort of counting down this season and getting the best he can… And arguably, if Mercedes keep going as the are, they could bring themselves back into challenging for both championships.
“It wouldn’t take much misfortune for Max [Verstappen] and suddenly he’s being attacked from all sides.”
Verstappen leads the Drivers’ Championship by 78 points over Lando Norris, with Hamilton another 49 further back.
Red Bull’s Constructors’ Championship lead meanwhile is down to 42 points over McLaren, while Mercedes are 142 points adrift of the P1 spot.