That said, a painful lesson is exactly what Lewis Hamilton called it after a strategy gamble completely backfired at the Singapore Grand Prix, leaving the seven-time World Champion to take full responsibility for a tough evening. Starting the race from P3 on the medium tyres, the Briton was actually the first driver to make a pit stop when he switched over to the soft compound. But things unravelled when an opportunity for a second stop arose under a Virtual Safety Car, with Ferrari team mate Charles Leclerc amongst those who chose to pit.
Now, the team did call Hamilton in as well, but he initially missed the pit entry. Faced with that mistake, he made the call to stay out on track and attempt a one-stop strategy all the way to the end of the race. Unfortunately, as the event wore on, those ageing tyres completely gave up on him, dropping the machine down to sixth place at the chequered flag.
A painful lesson today, but I take full responsibility for the decisions I made,
Over the radio, the regret was instant and absolute. "Sorry boys. I let you down today with that strategy. My call, and I lost us valuable points. I'll try and make up for it in the next one," Hamilton transmitted to the team.
Adding to a difficult night, Ferrari confirmed that Hamilton felt unwell after the race and was seen by the FIA medical team, which granted him permission to skip the media pen. A statement was released instead, where he expanded on the gamble that cost them so much.
"Today wasn’t the result we were looking for and it was on me," Hamilton said in the statement. "At a track that’s difficult to overtake, you need to try something different and I chose to start on a new medium tyre, to go long and try to make a one-stop work. Unfortunately the medium didn’t perform as well as the soft."
He noted that a good second stint brought the pace back, but progress remained impossible on a track where overtaking is notoriously tough. Discussing the crucial moment under the VSC, he admitted missing the entry and subsequently choosing to hold track position. In the closing laps, massive tyre degradation saw him lose three places to finish P6, which he felt did not reflect the actual pace in the car.
"A painful lesson today, but I take full responsibility for the decisions I made," Hamilton concluded. "Not every call will work out, and I can accept getting it wrong but I’m sorry for the team for the points we lost today. They put so much into every weekend, and I wanted to deliver more for them. I’ll continue to put the work in and come back fighting at the next race."
