Mercedes have justified their strategy ca🍬ll at the F1 Japanese Grand Pri💧x.

The tyre strategy failed to pay off, with 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Lewis Hamilton finishing ninth and 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:George Russell seventh.

The first-♒lap crash for Daniel Ricciardo and Alex Albon presented an opportunity for every team to find an advantage with the strategy at Suzuka.

• 2024 F1 Japanese Grand Prix - Race Results from Round 4

Mercedes switched their drivers to hard compounds after the restart which resulted in Ham🐼ilton asking to “change the strategy” via team radio.

Hamilton’s lack of🦂ಌ pace even saw him allow teammate Russell to pass him.

Mercedes changed their drivers to another set of hards, then switched to mediums ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚat the en🔴d.

A Meಌrcedes spokesman explained their decision-making afterwards: “With our t💦yre allocation (2 Hard, 1 Medium), we were able to give ourselves the possibility of looking at either a one or a two stop after the red flag.

“Hence the Hard tyre restart.

“Ultimately🐷, as the race progressed, the tyre degradation𒉰 showed that the two-stop was going to be the quickest way to the flag.

“Our second and third stints showed solid pace compared to those around us, including the McLarens and 𓆉the Ferraris.

“We knew that Suzuka would not be our strongest track though and, with time lost being overtaken on the offset strategy (one of the dowꦜnsides of this strategy), we couldn’t make it back to P6 which was likely the maximum today.”

Ferrari, notably, had 𒆙greater success by committing early to a two-s💝top strategy.

Carlos Sainz finished third💦, and Charles Leclerc fourth.

Red Bull secured a 1-2♔ finish (their third in four grands prix this year) with Maxไ Verstappen beating Sergio Perez.

Verstappen told Sainz afterwards in the cooldown room that com⛎mitting t꧃o a two-stop strategy was optimal for Red Bull.

Mercedes, however, were left scratching🌠 their heads after a disappointing display in Japan.