Hamilton beats Vettel through superior tyre strategy
Pirelli’s aim to put tyres at front-centre in Formula One race analyses in its first season as sole tyre supplier once again paid off, as McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton employed a three-stop strategy to give him the fresh rubber he needed to overcome Sebastian Vettel’s faster-qualifying Red Bull in the Chinese Grand Prix’s closing stages. Hamilton passed Vettel for the lead with four laps to go, with the German driver then forced to defend his lead from Jenson Button in the other McLaren and his Red Bull team mate Mark Webber, who recovered to finish on the podium after exiting qualifying in the first round, itself caused by the Australian’s desire to keep the softer option PZero fresh for racing.