Mercedes was lucky: 'It was really very risky'

Mercedes took a big risk during the Turkish Grand Prix by letting Lewis Hamilton drive on the same tyres for almost the entire race. Mario Isola therefore feared during the race that things would go wrong for the British driver, he tells Motorsport.com.

Due to the wet track in Turkey Hamilton was able to drive on his intermediates for a long time. The seven times world champion started from eleventh place and drove himself to third position. That seemed to be his final spot, but nothing was further from the truth. Just before the end of the race Mercedes brought him in and Hamilton finished fifth.

According to Isola, Mercedes took a big risk. "It's quite dangerous to really push the limit like today, although of course I also understand that in these kinds of conditions they try to maximise the result," stated the Pirelli boss, who had a clear message towards the teams. "It was really very risky to drive it to the end."

Hamilton lost expensive points in Turkey due to his team's decision. The driver is currently looking at a six-point deficit to Max Verstappen. In two weeks time, the United States Grand Prix is on the program.