Newly revealed Ferrari team radio has provided a much clearer picture of the uncertainty surrounding Lewis Hamilton’s strategy during the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix, including repeated requests for information before the Virtual Safety Car decision that ultimately shaped his race.
The seven-time world champion started third at Marina Bay but finished sixth after his one-stop strategy unravelled in the closing stages. His worn Soft tyres lost performance badly enough for Kimi Antonelli, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to pass him, yet the newly available exchanges with race engineer Carlo Santi show that the decisive sequence developed amid considerable discussion over Ferrari’s plans and the condition of rival tyres.
Lewis Hamilton asks Ferrari for clarity over Singapore strategy
The first major sign of uncertainty came on lap 32, when Hamilton asked what Ferrari was trying to achieve strategically. Carlo Santi informed him that the team was operating on Plan B, but the driver wanted more context, particularly regarding what the cars around him were doing.
Santi then explained that the rest of the relevant runners were pursuing one-stop races. The exchange showed that Hamilton already understood the name of Ferrari’s strategy but did not feel he had enough information to evaluate how his approach compared with those of his rivals.
That distinction became important because the Briton needed to judge whether continuing on his current tyres remained viable or whether a second stop could offer a better route to the chequered flag. Ferrari’s earlier decision to move Hamilton onto Plan B during the Singapore Grand Prix had already changed the shape of his afternoon.
Hamilton requests end-of-stint tyre pace but receives different data
A second exchange centred on the performance of rival drivers at the end of their tyre stints. Hamilton specifically wanted to know how quickly other cars had been running as their tyres approached the end of their useful life, information that could help him judge how far his own Soft compound might be stretched.
Carlo Santi initially replied with lap times in the high 1m36s range. Hamilton then asked for clarification because those figures referred to the current pace of other cars rather than the end-of-stint comparison he had requested.
The race engineer subsequently provided examples around 1m36.5 to 1m36.8, but Hamilton again stressed that those drivers were on fresh tyres. His question concerned how quickly they had been able to lap before making their stops.
Santi responded that Ferrari expected the pace to become similar towards the end of the race and indicated that the team did not believe Hamilton’s tyres would survive that far. The sequence is particularly significant because the information exchange came before the decision that eventually left the Ferrari driver committed to an extremely long final stint.
The communication between the pair has already attracted further scrutiny, with Carlo Santi’s message to Lewis Hamilton before the decisive strategy call becoming a major talking point after Marina Bay.
Lewis Hamilton reports concern over his tyres
Hamilton later informed Ferrari that something unusual had happened through the steering wheel and asked the team to examine the tyre data. Ferrari’s response was that the car appeared normal.
By that point, however, tyre life had become central to the outcome of his race. Hamilton was attempting to determine not only whether the Softs could reach the finish, but also whether staying out offered enough strategic value to justify the increasing risk of degradation.
That broader picture formed part of a difficult race for the SF-26, with ScuderiaFans’ Ferrari SF-26 Singapore GP analysis examining how tyre behaviour and strategy decisions affected both sides of the garage.
Hamilton suggests waiting for a possible Virtual Safety Car
The pivotal conversation came when Ferrari began seriously considering another pit stop. Santi told Hamilton that a decision was approaching, while the driver asked whether he could continue on the tyres already fitted.
The engineer explained that six laps remained before a possible switch to Plan C. Hamilton then wanted to understand the cost of stopping, asking whether he could preserve his position and how many places would be lost.
Santi indicated that Ferrari expected him to lose two positions but believed the fresher tyres would provide a pace advantage afterwards.
Hamilton then proposed delaying the stop because, if two places were going to be surrendered anyway, there might be value in waiting for a possible Virtual Safety Car. Santi agreed that Ferrari could attempt that approach.
The logic was straightforward: a neutralisation could reduce the time penalty associated with a pit stop and make the second stop significantly more attractive. The problem was that when the opportunity eventually arrived, Ferrari and Hamilton did not convert it into the planned tyre change.
Virtual Safety Car arrives but Hamilton remains on track
The Virtual Safety Car did appear, creating precisely the kind of opportunity Hamilton had discussed with Santi. However, the Ferrari driver stayed out rather than coming into the pits for fresh tyres.
That decision left him committed to a long Soft-tyre stint that became increasingly difficult to manage. The reasons behind the sequence have remained one of the central questions surrounding the race, with Hamilton’s decision to stay out during the Singapore VSC proving decisive in Ferrari’s lost podium opportunity.
As the tyres deteriorated, Hamilton began to lose pace rapidly. After a mistake at the opening corner, Kimi Antonelli and Lando Norris moved ahead, while Oscar Piastri continued closing from behind.
Hamilton reported locking up and running wide while Ferrari monitored the gaps. When he asked whether sixth place could still be defended, Santi provided the pace target required to keep Piastri behind. That resistance did not last, with the Australian completing the pass on the penultimate lap.
Lewis Hamilton takes responsibility after sixth-place finish
Despite the confusion evident in the radio traffic, Hamilton did not blame Ferrari for the outcome. After the race, he apologised to the team at the pit wall and accepted that the strategy had ultimately been his decision.
That admission adds important context to the radio exchanges. Hamilton had been the driver who suggested waiting for a possible Virtual Safety Car, but the conversation also shows that the decision developed while he was repeatedly seeking additional strategic and tyre information from Ferrari.
The seven-time world champion subsequently accepted responsibility for the Singapore tyre gamble, rather than shifting blame towards the pit wall.
What remains unresolved within the sequence is why Ferrari did not complete the stop once the Virtual Safety Car actually appeared. The opportunity Hamilton had suggested waiting for materialised, yet the number 44 car remained on circuit and eventually paid a heavy price as the Soft tyres deteriorated.
The newly revealed radio therefore does not change who Hamilton believed was responsible for the outcome, but it does show how much uncertainty surrounded the strategic discussion before the decisive moment. A race that began with the Ferrari driver in third ended with sixth place after a chain of tyre questions, incomplete information and a VSC opportunity that ultimately went unused.
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