Lewis Hamilton has acknowledged his responsibility for the strategic decision during the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix, a mistake that has cost him valuable positions in the race.
The situation unfolded on lap 39, when the Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was activated to address Lance Stroll, who had to retire due to a clutch problem in the Aston Martin. At that moment, Hamilton had completed 21 laps on soft tires, while Charles Leclerc, on medium tires, seized the opportunity to make a profitable strategic stop.
The positions of the Ferrari drivers, Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who were in second and third place respectively, allowed them to make a double stop, as they were separated by only 4.4 seconds entering the corners 10-11 during the VSC.
However, Hamilton opted to stay out on track and completed a long stint of 44 laps on soft tires. This decision translated into a drop to sixth position, even behind Oscar Piastri, who had to pit due to a puncture after the VSC.
The seven-time world champion crossed the finish line with nearly 46 seconds of disadvantage to his teammate Leclerc, meaning that his tactical choice cost him around 41.5 seconds.
After the race, in radio communications with the team, Hamilton said: ‘Sorry, guys. I let you down today with this strategy. It was my decision, and I lost valuable points. I’ll try to make up for it in the next one.’
His race engineer, Carlo Santi, simply replied: ‘Understood, thank you, Lewis.’ For his part, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur explained that they divided the strategies of the cars at the start, with Leclerc on soft tires trying to overtake Max Verstappen, who was starting from pole.
Regarding the decision not to pit during the VSC, Vasseur commented: ‘The decision was to pit both cars, but Lewis decided to stay out on track. It was a mistake overall; we could have gotten P2 and P3 today, but he apologized at the entry for the strategy we asked him to follow and he didn’t.’
This setback has reduced Hamilton’s lead over Max Verstappen, who occupies fourth place in the drivers’ standings, to just eight points, following the Dutchman’s victory in his first Singapore Grand Prix.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
