By the closing stages, Lewis Hamilton was at the end of his tether. “Leave me to it,” came the call to his (temporary) race engineer Carlo Santi, a remark we’ve become accustomed to hearing. No doubt the Briton’s blood was boiling underneath his yellow helmet as another podium opportunity at Ferrari passed him by in round one.
The Scuderia’s decision not to pit Hamilton after a dozen laps under a virtual safety car was questionable. Their call not to box either the Brit or teammate Charles Leclerc was downright ignorant. Mercedes, and their lead driver George Russell, were only too happy to walk through the door left wide open.
