The French Grand Prix was not only a masterclass in the art of racing and pit-stopping by Red Bull Racing, but the team also showed that they are on a par with the top teams when it comes to strategy. Red Bull Racing's different pit stop strategies were able to give Mercedes a hard time on several fronts.
Former Formula 1 driver Damon Hill states in conversation at the F1 Nation podcast Hill argued that Red Bull had made a strategic masterstroke, highlighting the crucial role that the team gave to Sergio Perez. Hill: "It’s crucial because it gives less scope for Mercedes to play with their strategy." By saving his tyres to the maximum Perez managed to pass Valtteri Bottas in the final stages of the race.
Strategic advantage
Hill sees Red Bull's driver duo able to use this strategy more often: "Because Perez went long they can basically bring in Max, send Sergio out there and Mercedes will not know what the strategy is going to be."
Hill continued: "Perez is bound to play a part down the race somewhere because he’s got the pace as well now. "