(Video) Lewis Hamilton confesses he was ‘angry and frustrated’ to George Russell over Singapore GP strategy
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton had a woeful race in Singapore and finished P6 after starting the race from P3.
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Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, image via IMAGO and screenshot via X/fiagirly
Mercedes were on a roll before the summer break, winning three out of the four races heading into the interval. However, since the paddock returned to racing, the German team has often suffered in races while also making several mistakes.
One such mistake was made on Lewis Hamilton‘s side of the garage as he was started on a set of soft tires and fell down the order during the race in Singapore. Subsequently, the Brit bemoaned about the team’s subpar strategic execution to George Russell at an event afterward.
Hamilton qualified third for the Singapore GP. He has had stellar drives around the street track over the years and has been a consistent winner in the past. Despite knowing Hamilton’s excellence around Marina Bay, the Brackley-based team opted to split the strategies for their two cars, and the seven-time champion was dealt with the wrong hand.
This left Hamilton infuriated, who later revealed his emotions to George Russell in an event held by the team’s sponsor.
So angry. And already from that moment I'm frustrated and I tried my best to keep up with the guys ahead, [but] they were too fast and then I just tried to make that tire last as best as long as I could. Then I had to stop on lap 17 and knew from the moment that my race was done.Lewis Hamilton said
Russell explained how he immediately thought about Hamilton starting on softs when most other cars on the grid were on a set of mediums. Subsequently, Hamilton added that he was angry and frustrated as he had a long way to go on those tires, which later became the reason for his P6 finish.
Mercedes aims to resolve Lewis Hamilton’s problems with an upgrade in Austin
While Mercedes‘ weekend in Singapore was ruined by their strategic blunders, they have a month’s break before the next race in Austin. This will give them time to work on the characteristics of the car which have often troubled their drivers.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff explained how the W15’s rear tire degradation limited them around tracks and focused on a swift resolution.
It doesn't hide the fact though that we were too slow today. We are struggling at the moment with tracks that are hot and demanding on traction, like here and Baku, but that is no excuse. It is difficult for us to accept but we must do and find a way to improve. We now look ahead to Austin where we will have an update coming and we hope that will move us forward.Toto Wolff said in a post-race interview
The Austrian said that traction remains a tough question that the engineers at Brackley have been working tirelessly on. However, he was optimistic that the team would find a solution soon as before the race in Austin.
Mercedes is still a long way behind McLaren in the pecking order. Thus, Hamilton and Russell would have to extract every ounce of performance from the W15 to get another victory this season, which seems extremely unlikely.
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Geetansh Pasricha
(772 Articles Published)