Hamilton loses podium in Singapore after ignoring Ferrari pit call

Singapore strategy failure

Hamilton finished sixth in Singapore after he decided not to pit during a virtual safety car on lap 40. He started the race in third and lost a certain podium finish because he chose to stay out on soft tyres during a mammoth 44-lap run to the chequered flag. The virtual safety car arrived when Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll stopped on the track with a clutch issue. Ferrari called both Hamilton and Leclerc in to pit, but Hamilton chose to try a one-stop strategy instead. He struggled on the older tyres in the later stages of the race. I find that ignoring the team instruction during a quick decision VSC moment caused the tension now visible in the Ferrari garage. Hamilton apologised to the team after the race and confirmed it was his personal call to remain on track. Among the top seven finishers, he was the only one who started on medium tyres and he also was the first to pit.

A growing lack of trust

Bernie Collins, a former strategist and Sky Sports F1 pundit, says Ferrari must prepare for "very difficult" conversations with Hamilton. She believes the Singapore result shows a "lack of trust" because Hamilton’s decision to override the pitwall mirrors his situation in Malaysia. In Malaysia, Ferrari called for an intermediate tyre change during rain, but Hamilton said the call was wrong and he wanted to "stick this out now". This decision left him struggling to recover, much like his situation in Singapore. Hamilton told the media in Singapore that he did not understand why Ferrari receives more criticism than McLaren for starting on slick tyres, but he later admitted three other team members talked him into the slick strategy during the Malaysia race. Collins argued that drivers should defer to the pit wall because the team has the most information. She also suggested Ferrari should provide more information to drivers earlier to allow for a productive discussion, such as telling a driver five laps before a safety car that they will double stack the cars. Bernie Collins told the Sky Sports F1 Show podcast that it is very difficult for the pit wall and Hamilton to manage the situation when he has already questioned their decisions in the previous week of racing. Regarding driver input, Collins noted that some teams give drivers information earlier to provide a "right to reply," similar to how they treated Sebastian Vettel.

The cracking relationship

Karun Chandhok says the trust between Hamilton and the pitwall is "cracking" and requires a "reset" after this latest strategic error in Singapore for the seven-time champion. Hamilton’s sixth-place finish in Singapore means he earned eight points, while Leclerc took second behind Max Verstappen to collect 18 points. Hamilton’s race unraveled because he was the first to pit and chose an unusual strategy. Chandhok noted that Ferrari played several things badly, specifically that Hamilton started on medium tyres and was the first to pit. I think the relationship between Hamilton and the Ferrari engineers is strained because the driver is questioning their decisions. The gap in points between the two Ferrari drivers heading into the final rounds of the season will do little to ease questions about communication, as Leclerc banked 18 points to Hamilton’s eight. Hamilton’s decision to stay out on the track during the virtual safety car period when he could have made a cheaper second stop on lap 40 was a major factor in losing the podium position. Hamilton struggled on old tyres and his performance dropped significantly.