Lewis Hamilton admits to being ‘PERPLEXED’ by Mercedes’ soft tires gamble at Singapore GP
Lewis Hamilton failed to convert his P3 start in Singapore to a win or a podium finish due to a strategy mistake by Mercedes.
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Lewis Hamilton (via IMAGO)
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton finished P6 at the Singapore Grand Prix after a dismal performance by the team in Marina Bay. Hamilton started P3 with hopes of securing a front-row finish but faltered due to his team’s strategy blunder.
Lewis Hamilton is set to depart for Ferrari in 2025 after spending 12 years with the Brackley-based team. He has shown signs of brilliance this season, winning the races at Spa and Silverstone with his dominant efforts.
That said, Hamilton was flabbergasted by his team’s decision to start on softs instead of a medium tire compound in Singapore. The 39-year-old struggled greatly during the initial stints of the race, which ultimately cost him a podium finish at Marina Bay.
We sat in our meeting in the morning of the race, actually the night before they already mentioned that they would like to split the cars. And for me, I was a bit perplexed by it. Because in the past, when we’ve ever been in that position. So I battled as hard as I could to fight to go on the medium tyre, but the team continued to suggest that I started on the soft.
Lewis Hamilton said after the Singapore Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton on Mercedes' strategy in Singapore:
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) September 26, 2024
“We sat in our meeting in the morning of the race, actually the night before they already mentioned that they would like to split the cars,”
“And for me, I was a bit perplexed by it. Because in the past, when we’ve ever been… pic.twitter.com/d5cUYmx1AG
Hamilton was visibly upset throughout the race, having wasted a potent chance to secure a podium finish in Singapore. The Silver Arrows have since admitted to their mistake of choosing the wrong tire compound following the race.
Mercedes chief explains reasons for putting soft tires on Lewis Hamilton’s car in Singapore
Mercedes Technical Director James Allison has explained the team’s decision to start Lewis Hamilton on soft tires at the Singapore GP. Allison apologized to the seven-time world champion for the decision before heading into the details.
The reasoning was that the soft tyre very often allows you to get away from the start abruptly and allows you a good chance of jumping a place or two in the opening laps of the race. We had no real expectation before the race that we were going to suffer the sort of difficulties that we then experienced on the soft rubber. We imagined we would get the upside of the soft rubber, of getting a place or two. Then we hoped that the downside of the soft being a bit more fragile wouldn’t really play out particularly badly.
James Allison via Formula1.com
Allison has claimed that the team wished for Hamilton to quickly gain positions at the start of the race. He specifically relied on the ability of the soft tires, which was unfortunately a wrong bet for the Silver Arrows.
Mercedes currently stands fourth in the Constructors’ Championship with only 329 points. The team eyes a top-three finish in the championship by the end of the season. Their efforts will henceforth require greater surety and momentum to attain their goal.
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Yashraj Chowdhury
(599 Articles Published)