Lewis Hamilton (6th/Ferrari) missed the pit entry: “That was down to me”

A podium finish in Singapore might well have been on the cards for Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton had things turned out differently – that is the conclusion reached by the Scuderia and the British driver himself following the Marina Bay Grand Prix.

Hamilton did not take advantage of a late virtual safety car period to make another pit stop. This put him at a disadvantage in the final sprint – and ultimately left him in sixth place in the race. Hamilton’s team-mate Charles Leclerc had made use of the VSC period; although he initially dropped back, he eventually finished second.

Immediately after crossing the finish line , Hamilton apologised to his team over the radio and took responsibility for the strategic decision.

Ferrari driver Hamilton: feeling unwell, no interviews

Hamilton cancelled his post-race media sessions on health grounds. According to the team, he was feeling unwell and was therefore excused from his interview commitments; instead, he visited the track’s medical staff. The heat!

Later, however, Hamilton spoke out again via his Ferrari team. The seven-time world champion said: “The result wasn’t what we’d hoped for, and that was down to me.”

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Explaining his strategic approach: “On a circuit where overtaking is difficult, you have to try something new, and I decided to start on new medium tyres to do a long stint and try to make a one-stop strategy work. Unfortunately, the medium tyres didn’t perform as well as the soft tyres.”

Lewis Hamilton in Singapore: Missed the pit entry

Hamilton: “I had a good second stint and the pace was back, but I couldn’t make up the necessary positions. During the VSC phase, the team called me into the pits, but I missed the entry. After that, I decided to stay out and try to hold my position until the end, but in the final laps I had massive problems with tyre wear and lost three places. I finished sixth, which doesn’t reflect the pace we had in the car.”

Hamilton takes full responsibility

So Hamilton has to take stock: “A painful lesson today, but I take full responsibility for the decisions I made. Not every decision works out, and I can accept that I was wrong, but I’m sorry for the team that we lost points today. They give so much every weekend, and I wanted to get more out of it for them. I’ll keep working hard and fight again at the next race.” The next Grand Prix is in Austin in two weeks’ time.