Red Bull figure shares intriguing Mercedes tactic used during the Lewis Hamilton-Max Verstappen title battle

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen competed against each other for the 2021 drivers' championship till the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi. The effect of this tight competition travelled through the principals and teams as well, which included some unorthodox methods of battling, one Red Bull mechanic has claimed. Mercedes pit crews are said to have abandoned an understanding of how pit lane management was done in favour of one-upping its competitors.

On the Road to Success podcast, RBR Senior Power Unit Assembly Technician Callum Nicholas spoke about the strategy used by Hamilton's pit crew team where they wouldn't pull their cables that were hanging in the pits so that the drivers could pass by easily, causing Red Bull drivers to have to drive around it slowly, causing delays.

While the cable managment in the pit lanes was usually done to avoid inconveniencing drivers, Nicholas said (via PlanetF1):

“In 2021, Mercedes no longer did that, halfway through the year, they just left the cables hanging to make it harder for us."

Speaking about the effects of a move like that, the mechanic continued:

“It was very irritating because, of course, the drivers have to drive around those cables, and that makes it more difficult to drive into the garage.”

The mechanic acknowledged that Red Bull eventually did return the favour, given that there are no rules stating that the pit crews have to move the cables away to make space, being more of an unspoken agreement between the teams.

Hamilton did not win the WDC that year, losing to the Dutchman in the final lap of the final race of the season, but his team, Mercedes did win the constructors' championship that year, beating Red Bull by 28 points.

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Lewis Hamilton on the Mercedes team's reaction to his move to Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton at the Mercedes team photo in the pit lane before the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Previews - Source: Getty

In February of this year, it was announced that Lewis Hamilton would be moving to Ferrari in 2025. The announcement came before the season began, so the British driver had to finish his last year with Mercedes with the move already announced.

Earlier this month, Hamilton spoke to the media about the team's reaction to the news, which included his own internal ups-and-downs this year (via AP):

“I anticipated it would be difficult, but massively underestimated how difficult it would be. It was straining on the relationship very early on, took time for people to get past it, and then just for my own self, it’s been a very emotional year for me and I think I’ve not been at my best in handling and dealing with those emotions.”

Lewis Hamilton joined the Brackley-based team in 2013, and since then they went on to have a successful partnership, winning six drivers' championships, eight constructors' championships, and 84 races together.