Vasseur Explains Surprising Safety Car Drama at British Grand Prix
The Scuderia was on the verge of a perfect weekend at Silverstone after Charles Leclerc secured his first victory of the Formula 1 season. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton looked set to secure a dominant Scuderia one-two before a late safety car deployment neutralised the field.
Ferrari opted to pit Hamilton for soft tyres, dropping him to third behind Mercedes driver George Russell. The expected restart never legalised as the safety car led the pack to the chequered flag, denying Hamilton any chance to reclaim his second position in front of his home crowd.
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Team principal Frederic Vasseur remained firm on the tactical choice despite the outcome. "I think pitting Lewis was the right decision because we were almost certain the race would restart, allowing him to easily overtake Russell on fresh softs," Vasseur explained to the press.
The Frenchman admitted the team miscalculated the duration of the neutralisation period. "We were surprised the safety car stayed on track so long. If we stayed out, Russell would have attacked on softs against our hard tyres, which was a massive risk," Vasseur added regarding the constructor standings.