Lewis Hamilton has explained the Virtual Safety Car decision that contributed to his difficult finish at the Singapore Grand Prix, revealing that Ferrari called him into the pits but he missed the pit entry before choosing to stay out. The 41-year-old ultimately finished sixth after heavy tyre degradation cost him three positions in the closing laps, and he accepted responsibility for the points Ferrari lost.
Lewis Hamilton endures a bitter Singapore GP finish
A minor illness prevented Lewis Hamilton from taking part in the traditional post-race media sessions, putting the finishing touch on what had already become an extremely disappointing end to his Singapore weekend.
The Ferrari driver had attempted to make an alternative strategy work by remaining on track with Soft tyres that were required to complete a very long stint. Instead of producing the hoped-for result, the strategy unravelled in the final phase of the race as Lewis Hamilton struggled to match the faster and more consistent pace of the drivers around him at the front of the field.
He eventually crossed the line in sixth place, a disappointing outcome for Ferrari. Fred Vasseur also highlighted the incorrect decision made by the 41-year-old when speaking after the chequered flag.
The result added another difficult chapter to Lewis Hamilton’s Singapore weekend, with more coverage of his Ferrari season available in the Lewis Hamilton news section.
Lewis Hamilton accepts responsibility for Ferrari’s lost points
Lewis Hamilton had already taken responsibility over team radio on the cooldown lap and did so again in Ferrari’s post-race statement.
“Today we didn’t get the result we hoped for and that’s my fault. On a track where it is difficult to overtake, we needed to try something different and I chose to start on a new Medium tyre, to make the first stint longer and try to make the one-stop strategy work. Unfortunately, though, the Medium didn’t work as well as the Soft. I had a good second stint and the pace came back, but I wasn’t able to recover the ground we needed.”
The different compound choices and stint lengths can be explored through the F1 Tyre & Stint Analysis.
Lewis Hamilton explains the missed pit entry under the VSC
The most important clarification concerned what happened under the Virtual Safety Car. Until after the race, it had not been clear whether Lewis Hamilton had missed the pit entry by mistake or whether remaining on track had been a deliberate tactical choice.
“During the VSC, the team called me into the pits, but I missed the entry. After that, I decided to stay out and try to maintain the position until the end, but in the final laps I struggled massively because of tyre degradation and lost three positions, finishing sixth. It’s a result that doesn’t reflect the pace we had on track today.”
The sequence also underlined how critical pit timing and strategic execution can become during neutralised race periods. Ferrari’s broader stop timing and strategy trends can be followed through the Ferrari Pit Stop & Strategy Statistics.
Hamilton calls Singapore mistake a painful lesson
Lewis Hamilton made no attempt to deflect responsibility for the outcome, acknowledging that the choices he made had ultimately failed to deliver the result Ferrari needed.
“It’s a painful lesson, but I take full responsibility for the decisions I made. Not every choice works out, and I can accept that I got it wrong, but I’m sorry for the team for the points we lost. The guys work incredibly hard every weekend and I wanted to give them more. I’ll keep giving everything and fighting at the next race,” Lewis Hamilton concluded.
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