An old interview with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff about the subject of discussing strategy changes with drivers during a race has resurfaced following Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix.
George Russell used a one-stop strategy to beat two-stopping teammate Lewis Hamilton at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, meaning he made a single set of tyres last 34 laps.
However, the former Williams driver was later disqualified after his car was found to be underweight after the race.
Formula 1's governing body, the FIA, announced that Russell's Mercedes weighed in at 796.5 kilograms, which is 1.5kg under the minimum weight required by the sport's regulations.
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Russell’s one-stop strategy could have led to his disqualification, according to Sky Sports’ Craig Slater, who engaged in conversation with Mercedes after the race.
“The reasons? I’ve had some guidance from within the Mercedes team about why they were underweight. It was to do Russell’s single-stop strategy," Slater said.
“The teams know exactly how much weight they will shed when tyres wear down."
One of the big talking points from Sunday's race has been Russell's one-stop strategy. In an interview following the event, Russell opened up about that decision.
“We definitely didn’t predict this win this morning in our strategy meeting,” he said. “But the car was feeling really awesome.
“We made a lot of changes from Friday night and the tyres just felt great. I just kept saying ‘I think we can do the one-stop’, and the strategy [team] did a really great job.”
Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, appeared to show his frustration at the strategy as he spoke to McLaren's Oscar Piastri in the cooldown room.
Now, an old interview with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has resurfaced, where he speaks about strategy changes with drivers during a race.
Wolff was asked about Lewis Hamilton's appeal for tactical freedom during the 2015 Brazil Grand Prix.
Hamilton was left frustrated at not being able to alter his strategy at Interlagos as he found himself stuck behind teammate Nico Rosberg, but Wolff wouldn't budge.
"We have our principles when it comes to strategy, in place since 2013 - and they have worked well," he told F1's official website.
"We will not change that. In the car you don't have the complete picture. In that particular moment, Lewis's tyres were going off and the talk was about the three-stop strategy. This would have been around ten seconds slower, so he might even have lost out to Sebastian [Vettel].
"It was therefore out of the question. Of course the driver in the car is emotional - that is understandable. We have hired guard dogs, not puppies."
When asked if he would ever discuss strategy changes with drivers during a race, Wolff replied: "No. We have our strategists - and if the drivers in the car start to make their own [decisions] they would lose every single race.
"Strategy is not an instinct-driven decision. Yes, the instinct might be right sometimes, but without having the full set of data you are going to get the majority of your races wrong. That's why we keep it as it is."
Topics: Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
Jack Kenmare