Wolff: Leaving Hamilton out during SC 'worth the risk'

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says the team's decision not to pit Lewis Hamilton during the Dutch Grand Prix's late safety car period was worth the risk, although the decision left the Briton unhappy.

Hamilton had been able to hold a spot among the top three all afternoon, even running a productive second stint on the hard tyre before switching to the medium compound during a three-lap VSC neutralization.

But 16 laps from the end of the race, a full safety car regime triggered by an engine failure on Valtteri Bottas' Alfa Romeo reset proceedings, with race leader Max Verstappen opting to pit for a final set of softs.

In the Mercedes camp however, the team hedged its bets by bringing George Russell in, also for a switch to softs, and leaving Hamilton out on his used mediums.

But the seven-time world champion was a sitting duck on the restart, immediately passed by Verstappen and then eventually by Russell and Leclerc, thus falling from first to fourth in the space of five laps.

• Read also: Verstappen basks in victory after tricky home Dutch GP

Hamilton was anything but happy with the call and made his feelings known over the radio to his strategists.

Wolff insisted that Hamilton's heat-of-the-moment reaction was understandable, but insisted his team had been right to throw caution to the wind and take a risk.

"It is highly emotional for the driver, you are that close to be racing for the win and then you've been eaten up, so it is clear that every emotion comes out," Wolff told Sky Sports F1.

"You, as the driver in the cockpit, you are alone and you don't see what is happening. We discussed at the moment, are we taking risks for the race win? Yes, we are taking risks.

"He had a tyre that was five laps old, the medium, holding position was the right thing to do. At the end it didn't work out for him but I'd rather take the risk to win the race with Lewis rather than finish second and third.

"Lewis was ahead, so you always have a little bit longer with the call [for those behind].

"You can do two things: you can either pit Lewis and lose track position against Verstappen and leave George out screwed, or you can pit both, screwed. So it was worth taking the risk."

Wolff didn't believe that leaving both drivers out would have yielded a better result, given Verstappen's race pace.

"If you do that, you have both on an old tyre, but this would have guaranteed second and third and we wouldn't have raced for the win with Lewis."

Equally, a double pit stop would have left both Hamilton and Russell desperately chasing Verstappen.

"I think the Red Bull has so much straightline speed that all on the same tyre out there is no way we are winning," he added.

"I think we can look at the positives and this is what I just discussed with Lewis, there is so much more positive to take.

"Of course second and fourth is annoying but we felt we had a good race car here. That's what is most important and you've got to take risks where we are."

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