Hamilton takes responsibility after Singapore strategy call costs Ferrari points

Lewis Hamilton accepted responsibility for a strategy decision that left him sixth at the Singapore Grand Prix after Ferrari had been heading for a double podium, BBC Sport reported. Charles Leclerc finished second behind Max Verstappen, while Hamilton lost three positions late in the race as his tyres deteriorated. The result also helped third-placed Kimi Antonelli strengthen his lead in the drivers' championship.

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Ferrari had instructed both drivers to stop during a mid-race virtual safety car. Leclerc came in, but Hamilton stayed on track. In a statement released by Ferrari and reported by the BBC, Hamilton explained that he had missed the pit entry when the team first called him in. He then opted to continue, hoping to protect his position until the finish, before tyre wear made that plan untenable.

Hamilton's race had already departed from his original strategy. He started on a new set of medium-compound tyres with the intention of extending the opening stint and making just one stop. Those tyres did not perform as he had hoped, forcing him into an earlier change. His pace improved on the soft compound during the second stint, which informed his subsequent decision to stay out rather than stop again.

His first pit stop came six laps before Leclerc's. When Leclerc rejoined, Hamilton was close behind and initially quicker, but Ferrari did not swap their positions. Team principal Frederic Vasseur said Leclerc's later stop gave him the tyre advantage and defended leaving him ahead. Vasseur also acknowledged Hamilton's apology after the missed stop, describing mistakes as something both drivers and team management make rather than treating the decision as a crisis.

Hamilton apologised over the radio after the race and, in Ferrari's statement, took responsibility for the lost points. He did not attend the post-race media interviews after reporting that he felt unwell and receiving permission to miss them. His statement said the sixth-place result did not represent the car's pace and committed him to working towards a stronger return at the next race.

Antonelli's third place left the Mercedes driver 102 points ahead of team-mate George Russell and 111 clear of Hamilton, according to the BBC. Russell finished ninth after starting from the back of the grid. Verstappen, meanwhile, secured his first Singapore Grand Prix victory and a second consecutive grand prix win, continuing Red Bull's recent improvement after a difficult start to the season.