Palmer: Limiting mistakes was key to success at the German Grand Prix
F1 News
Jolyon Palmer believes the key to a good result at the Hockenheimring last weekend was limiting the number of mistakes in the treacherous conditions which saw seven retirees.
Max Verstappen won the German Grand Prix for his second victory in three races but even he spun out in difficult conditions. Sebastian Vettel and Daniil Kvyat joined him on the podium but World Championship leader, Lewis Hamilton was forced to pit six times including one-stop of almost a minute with his team unprepared for his arrival.
Palmer believes managing mistakes was vital to success during the race insisting Verstappen's race wasn't "mind blowing". In his column for BBC Sport he wrote: "Because making a mistake is so easy in conditions where so much can go wrong, it is as crucial to limit the errors as it is to push to the limits in every area. Ultimately, that's how this race was won.
"Verstappen's race wasn't mind blowing, and neither was Sebastian Vettel's to second place.
"Yet they ended with the biggest smiles at the end of the grand prix, along with Daniil Kvyat, who made a shock return to the podium.
"Verstappen had a poor start and suffered a spin when Red Bull made a strategy error in pitting him for medium tyres instead of softs, which would have warmed up sooner in the slippery conditions.
"Other than that, though, taking into account all the aspects of the team, Verstappen and Red Bull outperformed the competition."