Hamilton Apologises To Ferrari For Singapore Strategy Call
Lewis Hamilton apologised to his Ferrari crew, taking responsibility for not making a second pit stop under a late Virtual Safety Car in Singapore. Running third at the time, he was passed by three rivals on old tyres and finished sixth.
Lewis Hamilton has taken responsibility for the pit stop decision that compromised his Singapore Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver chose not to make a second stop during a late Virtual Safety Car period, which left him at a disadvantage in the final stint.
When the VSC was deployed, Hamilton was running third behind Max Verstappen and his team mate Charles Leclerc. Leclerc made a second stop for fresh tyres and rejoined behind Hamilton, but soon passed him with ease.
Hamilton’s problems did not end there. Three more drivers caught and passed him before the finish. Lando Norris, like Hamilton, had stopped only once. The other two, Kimi Antonelli and Oscar Piastri, made two stops: Antonelli pitted under the VSC, while Piastri came in later because of a puncture. Hamilton finished sixth.
After the race, Hamilton spoke to his race engineer Carlos Santi and his crew over the radio. He said he had let them down with the strategy, that the call was his and that it had cost the team valuable points. He promised to try to make up for it at the next race and thanked the crew for a good pit stop. Santi acknowledged the message and thanked him.