Christian Horner found himself embroiled in a heated debate regarding Mercedes’ strategic choices during the F1 Japanese Grand Prix. The discourse shed light on the challenges faced by the Mercedes team in determining the optimal race strategy.
The race results, with Lewis Hamilton finishing in P9 and George Russell in P7 – both trailing behind the Ferraris and Red Bulls, among others – indicate that Mercedes may have miscalculated their strategy in Suzuka. Following a first-lap red flag, Mercedes opted to switch to hard compound tires upon the restart.
Hamilton’s struggles to find pace on the track led him to radio his team, urging a change in strategy. Mercedes responded by outfitting their drivers with new hard tires, later transitioning to mediums. However, their decision-making process came under intense scrutiny in the aftermath of the race.
Despite the criticism, Hamilton stood by his team’s strategy, though he expressed a preference for the medium tires. Reflecting on the tumultuous weekend, Bernie Collins remarked, “A topsy-turvy weekend. They will be disappointed by what has happened in the race.
“Lewis is maybe a little bit skewed by the first stint on the hards. He was overtaken by George on the same tyre, likely on the same fuel load. That never feels great from a driver’s point of view because he was ahead at the red flag.
“Then he says the ‘medium at the end felt the best’. Of course it does! It’s the lightest the car has been, the best the track has been… All of those things mean that the medium – or whatever tyre you fit for the final stint – will feel the best.”
Collins emphasized that the medium tire isn’t always the preferred choice, stating, “Not necessarily. That is a bit subjective. If he had a medium at the start that he could compare with? Then maybe. But we don’t have that.”
However, Damon Hill offered a contrasting perspective on Mercedes’ strategy. Unlike Mercedes, both Red Bull and Ferrari chose a different approach regarding tire strategy.
“I disagree with Bernie,” remarked Horner. “As a driver, I would have liked both mediums, please!”
Horner, the team principal of Red Bull, added his input to the ongoing debate with his own assessment.
“I was speaking with Checo,” Horner said. “He was saying with hindsight he would have preferred two hard tyres, rather than two mediums, to go into the race.
“It seems like Checo is on Team Bernie. I don’t think there was much in it. The track was warmer today, that brought the cars into a different operating window. The circuit just gets faster and faster throughout the race.”
Red Bull clinched a 1-2 finish in the race, marking their third such achievement in 2024, with Max Verstappen leading Sergio Perez across the finish line.
Verstappen revealed to Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who secured third place on the podium, that Red Bull had favored a two-stop strategy following the restart.
