Mercedes believe it was not possible to pit Lewis Hamilton earlier than lap 14 at the start of the United States Grand Prix. A very aggressive strategy from Red Bull ultimately paid off at the Circuit of The Americas as World Championship leader Max Verstappen held off his title rival in a tense finale. Even though Hamilton grabbed the race lead following an amazing start out of the blocks from P2 on the grid, it was still Red Bull calling the first shots and forcing Hamilton and Mercedes to be reactive, rather than proactive, when it came to pit stop strategy. With Verstappen pitting as early as lap 10 and Perez following suit three laps later, Mercedes eventually brought Hamilton in on...
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