LEWIS HAMILTON has slammed Mercedes for a strategy call at the Japanese Grand Prix which almost derailed his race.
Hamilton managed a P5 finish while team-mate George Russell finished P7 at the Suzuka circuit.
But it was a call in the later stages of the race involving Russell which Hamilton was less than pleased about.
Having pitted onto a set of new hard compound tyres, Hamilton was trying to chase down Charles Leclerc, while Russell had opted to gamble on a safety car and stay on his older set of hards.
However, upon coming up the back of Russell with Ferrari's Carlos Sainz breathing down his neck, Russell wanted to use Hamilton as protection from Sainz by giving him DRS (drag reduction system).
Russell did eventually invert positions with Hamilton, but asked Hamilton to help by slowing down and giving DRS, with the Mercedes pitwall asking Hamilton to help his team-mate out.
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Regardless, Sainz overtook Russell on the next lap, leaving Hamilton precariously close to the Spaniard in the dying laps of the race.
After the Grand Prix, won by Max Verstappen, Hamilton was confused by the strategy and was critical of the decision.
He said: "When they suggested it to me, I knew that they obviously thought of it from the last race but it made no sense.
"I needed to get as far clear as possible. I was on my way, around two seconds ahead and they asked me to give George DRS and I had to come off the gas down the straight.
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"Then he got overtaken by Sainz. He then got past George and he was right on my tail which was not ideal."
The seven-time world champion did manage to hold off the Singapore Grand Prix winner but in less comfortable circumstances than he would have liked.
Hamilton remains in the hunt for a first race win since 2021.
Meanwhile, Verstappen can clinch his third driver's title in a row in the Qatar sprint shootout on October 7.
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