Ferrari boss unpacks Hamilton’s late-race braking drama in Singapore GP

“We were overheating not from lap one, but from lap two or three, and we had to do lift and coast during the race,” Vasseur said at the end of the race.

Asked whether there had been any warning signs before the race, the Frenchman added: “We all know that in Singapore, when you’re in the middle of the pack, it’s critical for the brakes and so on. But the fact that we didn’t do FP2 didn’t help in the end. It was not expected at this point.”

Finally, when asked if everything was under control from a safety perspective, Vasseur said: “In terms of safety, yes — because we adapted the pace. It’s not like Lewis was pushing flat-out on the last lap; he was slightly slower. From a safety point of view, it was on the safe side. The target is to be safe, but the target is not to be satisfied.”

Before suffering the brake issue, the seven-time world champion had managed — thanks to an aggressive soft-tyre strategy — to get the better not only of his teammate but also of Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes, only to surrender in the closing stages due to the technical problems.

In the post-race interviews, Hamilton admitted he’s struggling to see the team reduced to such results and playing the role of the fourth force in recent races, although the Briton remains convinced there was potential this weekend to finish much higher up the order.

In the end, Hamilton was also handed a five-second time penalty after the race for repeatedly cutting corners — a consequence of the brake issues he faced.