Max Verstappen delivers brutal truth to Mercedes with dig at US GP strategy

While Red Bull got it right, Max Verstappen says Mercedes cost themselves the chance to win the United States Grand Prix by getting their strategy wrong.

Mercedes in the first stint found themselves somewhat caught between the one-stop and two-stopper for Lewis Hamilton, the W14 with Hamilton at the wheel in the conversation for victory.

The team ultimately tried to extend Hamilton’s stint to go for the one-stopper, but despite Verstappen, who stopped four laps earlier, now coming into Hamilton’s pit window, the Brit was struggling too much on those tyres and came in to pit.

Max Verstappen felt Mercedes strategy let possible victory slip

Mercedes would go for an off-set strategy instead, with Hamilton put onto medium tyres for his final stint against Verstappen on hards, who was also nursing issues with the brakes on his Red Bull.

Hamilton closed the gap, but Verstappen nonetheless emerged victorious with a margin of two seconds as Hamilton fell narrowly short.

Hamilton was ultimately disqualified from the results, along with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, after the FIA discovered excessive wear on the skid pads.

Described by Sky F1 as a further dominant victory, Verstappen replied: “I don’t think dominant. I mean, we only won by two seconds.”

Asked whether that then means Mercedes are now moving into range to challenge Red Bull for victories, Verstappen said the Brackley squad could have been successful in that mission had they not gone down the wrong route strategically with Hamilton.

“For sure they could have won today if they did a better strategy I think after the first stop,” Verstappen claimed.

“So yeah, the whole weekend they were very good, quick I think and today probably from outside also you know with the brake issues that was hampering a bit for my pace.

“But in general, I think they were very strong this weekend.”

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Red Bull, by contrast, made the right calls, which Verstappen said allowed him to take the pain of the brake issues and still emerge victorious, for the 50th time in his Formula 1 career.

Still, after a comfortable sprint victory on Saturday, he had hoped that the RB19 would be more competitive than it proved to be on Grand Prix Sunday.

Speaking in the post-race press conference, he said: “I think as a team we did the right strategy, we picked it at the right time and basically because of that I could work my way forward.

“I think we did everything correct today, but I was hoping for a little bit more pace because I think yesterday we were a lot more competitive.”

With that win, Verstappen matched his own record tally of 15 grand prix victories in a season.

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