Quote:
Originally Posted by M5Rick
I know Wolff is after that second and Max ''could'' help Checo with that when or if the time comes and of course if he has the luxury of doing that..all depending if Checo can cut through the field.
Max knows Lew better that Lew knows Max.
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Different view point: Verstappen indirectly helps Perez by regularly impeding Hamilton to win any race since Abu Dhabi 2021, denying Hamilton the 25 race points time and time again and leaving him with a morally straining 'zero race victories' burden (a point of fact that Wolff and Hamilton would have never fathomed after 2021). When will Hamilton, at last, put the blocked 'race win wheel' back in motion ? Maybe today in Austin ? He has a reasonable chance with the start grid.
Furthermore, to protect Perez, if Verstappen has sufficient gap in the closing stages of the final races, he may be expected to pit for Fastest Lap to deny Hamilton also an FL bonus point.
There is nothing devious about that. It's motor racing. You win,
ergo, someone else loses. Cause and effect.
Verstappen has the engine power and skills to back up Hamilton to give Perez chances to battle with Hamilton.
Toto Wolff will have nominated Russell as 'Mercedes Minister of Defense', instructed to back up both Verstappen and Perez at Austin to allow Hamilton to build a gap. It will be tough for Russell to keep an unleashed Verstappen behind him (Russell risks to be done and dusted during the first stage of the race), but Perez could face some serious Russell trouble and maybe even contact. Russell must defend. Hopefully no DNF for either Russell, Hamilton, Perez or Verstappen.
From hindsight: during the Sprint, Verstappen may have checked the capabilities of the Mercedes floor upgrade by 'offering' Hamilton a DRS window during the first 5 laps: which were the sections where Hamilton managed to get closer and where couldn't Hamilton keep up ? In Lap 5 Verstappen radioed: "Driveability is sure not there. I lost the rear completely.". His race engineer replied: "Could have been the gust of wind, Max". Right after that message Verstappen 'upped the ante', no DRS window anymore for Hamilton and Verstappen ran off into the distance building almost a 10 second gap at the checkered flag.