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Merc F1 boss: 'More common-sense needed'

LONDON, England - Mercedes needs to show a bit more common sense in future, motorsport head Toto Wolff said on Tuesday (May 26 2015) after the Formula 1 team had analysed the blunder that cost Lewis Hamilton the Monaco Formula 1 GP.

Asked, in an exchange with fans on Twitter, what the key findings were from post-race debriefs and how the champions would improve strategically in races to come, the Austrian replied: "Improve software, better communication, and a spice (bit) more common sense."

MISCALCULATION

Hamilton led Sunday's showcase race from pole until the pace car was deployed in the closing laps and he was called in for what turned out to be a needless pit stop while those immediately behind stayed out.

Mercedes was wary of Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel pitting for fresh supersoft tyres, which could have made him a threat even on a circuit such as Monaco where overtaking is extremely difficult, and thought Hamilton had enough of a gap to pit and safely retain the lead.

The numbers were wrong and the Briton ended up third with his overall championship lead over winning team mate Nico Rosberg halved to 10 points.

"We told him to stay out and Lewis said 'not good' and that the tyres had lost temperature," Wolff said of how the situation unfolded. "We had one second to react and, combined with our wrong timing data, we made the mistake of calling him in."

'TRUST A KEY VALUE'

Wolff said nobody was punished for what happened and nobody would be. He was also confident Hamilton would still have full confidence in the team for the Canadian GP (June 5).

"Trust is a key value within our team. One race doesn't tip that over," he added.

The team boss also said Mercedes would not change its policy of having one overall strategist, rather than one for each driver.

"Last year proved that we allow our drivers to have a fair and equal fight. Having one strategist allows this," he emphasised. "You need the right balance between data and gut feeling. Our tools told us we had the gap but they were wrong."

Stay with Wheels24 for the 2015 F1 season – fresh reports every day.

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