Hamilton had to push hard, but he managed to make the tires last on a McLaren that isn't known for tire conservation. His first stint saw him put in the best performance of the top three, as he undercut Vettel and outperformed Alonso, who stayed out longer but couldn't quite build a cushion because he didn't have enough tire left at the end of it.
In the second stint, Alonso and Vettel were banking on the higher rates of wear on the McLaren to undercut him, but Lewis had managed to build up enough of a gap at the start of the stint to keep them at bay... that, along with the frantic calls from the pit about matching his target times managed to keep him out long enough to force the other two to gamble (foolishly) on one-stoppers.
Most people peg Hammy as being really harsh on tires... and for the most part that's true... but he has shown the ability to eke out whatever life is possible from tires (when needed) on a McLaren that seems content to shred them at earliest opportunity. Witness the "tire master", Button ending up on a three-stopper due to extreme rates of wear... Hamilton has always been more adept at driving a difficult car than Button, and that trend continues now...
-
That said... greenest drive of the race has to go to Sergio Perez. Wasted the least amount of time idling in the pits, and drove from 15th to 3rd on a one-stop strategy and just two sets of tires.
