Hamilton recalls exact moment he realised Singapore GP gamble was wrong
Photo: Race Pictures
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Tobia is a Formula 1 journalist at GPblog with experience at international circuits. Since 2022, he has covered Grands Prix across Europe, delivering reliable coverage and insights from the paddock.
Lewis Hamilton has explained the reasoning behind his unsuccessful strategy gamble at the Singapore Grand Prix, admitting that his decision to stay out rather than pit proved costly. The seven-time world champion defended his approach, insisting that he will continue to challenge Ferrari's strategic decisions in pursuit of better results.
Speaking to the media ahead of the United States Grand Prix, Hamilton reflected on his difficult race in Singapore, where his decision to pursue an alternative strategy ultimately backfired. The Briton admitted that the disappointment was difficult to accept but stressed the importance of learning from such experiences.
"Firstly, you learn from these experiences. So it's rare that I find myself in that position. Of course, the next couple of days didn't feel so great. But you live and you learn."
Hamilton explained that his decision was driven by his desire to fight for victory. Starting third on the grid, he believed following the same strategy as team-mate Charles Leclerc would limit his chances of challenging Max Verstappen, prompting him to explore a different approach.
"I think when I was lining up on grid, when I knew I was going to be third, I'm always looking at ways to win, I'm always looking at doing potentially something different. And I wanted to be on a different strategy, not just the same strategy as Charles, where we just follow each other."
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"We assumed Max would be potentially quicker. And the strategy kind of showed just us finishing second and third. And that's not enough for me. I wanted to have options. And see what could be possible. If the medium tyre could last longer, maybe it could go deeper into the race."
Photo: Race Pictures
Hamilton takes responsibility for Singapore pit stop mistake
The alternative strategy failed to deliver the expected advantage. Hamilton struggled with the medium tyres during the opening stint and subsequently lost valuable time behind Leclerc, who was running on the slower compound.
"It wasn't the case when I got going and it didn't feel great in the first stint. And then obviously coming out behind Charles and losing a lot of time ultimately with him on the slower tyre, which I was on at the beginning."
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The Ferrari driver also addressed the decisive moment when he opted against entering the pit lane. Hamilton revealed that he was unaware Leclerc was coming in and made a split-second decision to remain on track, only to realise almost immediately that he might have made a mistake.
"I was coming towards the pit lane entry, and I didn't know Charles was coming in because I just recently had stopped. And in this split-second decision, I decided to stay out. And as soon as I was alongside the pit lane, I realised it's probably the wrong decision, but I owned up to it, took responsibility for it, and you move on."
Despite the setback, Hamilton insisted that the incident has not affected his relationship with Ferrari. Discussions have since taken place behind the scenes about improving collaboration, although the Briton remains convinced that challenging conventional strategic thinking is an essential part of his role.
"We've had good conversations in the background of how we can do better together, how we can collaborate better. But I think that nothing's changed in terms of how well we work together in the background."
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"I truly believe my job is rather than to follow suit always, is to continuously challenge the team and myself, including, and just constantly challenging the norms and. That's ultimately how I've got to where I am, and I will not shy away from that."
Hamilton acknowledged that his approach will not always produce the desired outcome, while emphasising that both success and failure are shared responsibilities within the team.
"Sometimes it doesn't go well, and that was one of those, but you live to fight another day, and we win and we lose as a team, so we carry the weight and the cost together. It definitely hurts when I lose points for the team, it's not something I do very often, but I'll work, I'll double the efforts to make sure that doesn't happen again."
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