During the time Qin Miao slowed down, Hamilton started accelerating without regard to tire wear. What he intended was clear—to use the car's performance advantage to overcut Verstappen during Verstappen's pit stop.
Thus, Hamilton stayed on the track for three more laps, only choosing to pit at the end of the forty-third lap.
However, Mercedes somewhat underestimated Red Bull's speed.
When Hamilton came out, he was three seconds behind Verstappen, even though he was 1.1 seconds behind Verstappen before Verstappen pitted.
It can be said that this pit stop only gained Hamilton three laps of tire wear, but no other benefits.
Nonetheless, Mercedes also had another plan in mind, considering after Verstappen's pit stop, Qin Miao communicated with Frankie about the possibility of not pitting and completing the race.
The team agreed with Qin Miao's tactical choice.
