Mercedes saw no realistic way to keep Verstappen behind, says Lord

At Sepang, during the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, Kimi Antonelli stayed out after Max Verstappen pitted under the virtual safety car (VSC). Antonelli stopped a lap later, by which time Verstappen had already pitted and reclaimed the lead.

After the race, Bradley Lord, Mercedes' deputy team principal, said the team was initially unsure whether its advantage was enough to protect the lead. Once Verstappen pitted, Mercedes judged it unrealistic to hold the lead against him and wanted tyres in the best possible condition, Lord said.

Lord said it could have been uncomfortable to defend track position on old tyres if a full safety car allowed cars behind to take a free stop. He praised the pit wall and strategists for their tyre choices, stop timing and VSC decision, saying the call looked even better in hindsight.

A full safety car later regrouped the field and erased Verstappen's 13-second advantage. He still had the lead and control of the restart, on relatively new soft tyres like the cars behind him, and went on to win.