Martin Brundle: Lewis Hamilton made a mistake in canceling Mercedes in Turkish GP pit-call fiasco

“You have to respect Lewis’ seven titles and his instinct on the track … but at the same time, he has to respect his team”; Martin Brundle’s verdict on Hamilton-Mercedes disagreement at Turkish GP stand

Sky Sports F1 Martin Brundle believes Lewis Hamilton “made a mistake” in canceling Mercedes at the Turkish GP in a strategic incident that saw him lose key race positions and championship points to Max Verstappen.

Hamilton was eager to finish the race with the same midsize tires he started on Sunday and initially ignored calls from Mercedes to the pit, before finally taking advice 10 laps after he was asked for the first times.

Hamilton moved from third to fifth, but at this point there were only eight laps left in the race and he did not regain the positions.

The seven-time world champion criticized his team during and after the race.

“I think yesterday was a mistake on Lewis’s part,” Brundle said on Sky Sports News.

“We have seen him cancel the team in the past and it worked really well – for example in Turkey last year where he ran to the end and it was a glorious victory.

“But yesterday I think all Mercedes had to do was to some extent emulate what Red Bull was doing, try to minimize the pain of taking a new engine and a grid penalty to go with that.

“I think Lewis put his team off balance and it was a bit of a man-less stoppage at the end.”

An angry Hamilton said after the race: “My instinct was to stay out, and I feel like I should have done so, so I’m frustrated that I didn’t follow my instincts. “

But Brundle stressed Monday morning: “You have to respect Lewis’ seven titles and his instinct on the track.

“But at the same time he has to respect the fact that his team got an abundant amount of information, they watch the whole race, all the other cars and when they called him he kind of put them out of the way. their momentum. “

Hamilton also accused Mercedes of being too conservative by not leaving him out until the end of the race, as Alpine’s Esteban Ocon had done. But Pirelli and Mercedes both said Hamilton risked a DNF under the circumstances.

“He had to stop, I’m pretty sure,” Brundle said. “If you look at Esteban Ocon’s tires in the Alpine, it was on canvas.

“Common sense tells you it probably wouldn’t have worked, but Lewis felt he wanted to.”

Hamilton’s two-point lead over Verstappen turned into a six-point deficit with six races to go.

“It’s not the end of the world,” Brundle said. “Obviously he was very close to third and he felt it would have been a really great day.

“But this amazing season revolves around a fastest lap here or maybe a sprint race victory or a little luck or a little reliability. It’s really so, so close. .

“Red Bull will be concerned about the brutal pace of the Mercedes this weekend, Valtteri Bottas has been exceptional in all respects and he will also help Lewis for the world championship.

“We are having an incredible end to this season.”