Lewis Hamilton sends message after ‘painful’ Singapore Grand Prix ‘lesson’

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton says the Singapore Grand Prix proved a “painful lesson” after his Singapore Grand Prix strategy backfired.

Hamilton finished a disappointing sixth in Sunday’s race at the Marina Bay street circuit as Red Bull driver Max Verstappen took victory.

Lewis Hamilton takes ‘full responsibility’ for Singapore Grand Prix strategy

The seven-time world champion started third, but slipped back after electing for a bold one-stop strategy.

After pitting on Lap 18, Hamilton decided against stopping again under a virtual safety car period.

The decision left him vulnerable in the closing stages, with Hamilton falling behind Kimi Antonelli, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to come home sixth.

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Hamilton was heard apologising to Ferrari over team radio at the chequered flag, telling the team: “Sorry, boys, I let you down today with that strategy. My call.”

Hamilton was excused by the FIA from his post-race media duties after complaining of feeling unwell, with the 41-year-old evaluated by the FIA’s medical team after the race.

In a statement posted to social media on Monday, Hamilton said that he takes “full responsibility for the decisions I made” during the Singapore Grand Prix.

He wrote: “Yesterday wasn’t the result we were looking for, and that’s on me.

“At a track that’s difficult to overtake you need to try something different, and I chose a strategy that ultimately didn’t deliver.

“It’s a painful lesson to learn, but I take full responsibility for the decisions I made.

“In this sport, not every call will work out. It’s about accepting when you get it wrong and how you move forward.

“I’m grateful to the team for the work they put in every weekend.

“P6 doesn’t reflect the pace we had in the car, and despite the result there are positives to take away.

“Massive thanks to the fans in Singapore for the energy. I’ll continue to put the work in and come back fighting at the next race.”

Hamilton elected against issuing an update on his health after being excused from his post-race media duties.

Why Lewis Hamilton’s Singapore Grand Prix strategy was a mistake

By Uros Radovanovic, PlanetF1.com data analyst

Just a few laps before the Virtual Safety Car, Hamilton and his race engineer had a confusing radio exchange.

Hamilton wanted information on the lap times of drivers on soft tyres at the end of their stints. Instead, the race engineer gave him current lap times.

When the Briton repeated the question, he still didn’t get the information he asked for, instead all he received was the team’s opinion that it didn’t think the soft tyres could last to the end.

Without that crucial data, and knowing he hadn’t used the full potential of his current set, it’s easy to see why Hamilton tried to stay out, keep track position ahead of [Charles] Leclerc, and try to defend it until the finish line.

It is understandable why the team went along with the driver’s call.

We have seen several times this season where their strategic views differed, and Hamilton had always followed the team’s instruction until now.

Besides, nobody truly knew how long the soft tyres might last, as no driver had attempted such a long stint.

This time, the gamble proved costly.

Where a double-stack pit stop during the VSC would have easily saved third place on the podium, Hamilton instead dropped three positions, losing valuable points for both himself and the team.

From lap 41 to the end of the race, the Briton was an average of 2.5 seconds per lap slower than Leclerc, who was the fastest driver on track at that point.

While the ultimate responsibility lies with Hamilton, it’s important to identify the root cause: poor communication between team and driver.

Clear radio communication is vital, even if it mostly stays hidden from the viewers, and it is an area Ferrari has long struggled with.

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