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Lewis Hamilton learned that modern Formula One cars cannot be run solely by the person behind the wheel, after his strategy blunder at the Singapore Grand Prix. That was the verdict given by Martin Brundle as he recapped the action from the Marina Bay Circuit. Brundle was on co-commentary duties for Sky Sports in Singapore and so had a front-row seat to how the race unfolded, including how Ferrari threw away what looked nailed on to be a double podium finish.
Max Verstappen was the runaway winner from pole but Charles Leclerc was sitting pretty behind him in second place throughout the race, with Hamilton third. Overtaking is difficult on that circuit and so Ferrari just had to get their pit stops right to protect the double podium finish behind the Dutchman.
But Hamilton went rogue when Ferrari called both their drivers in for a change of rubber when the virtual safety car made an appearance. Leclerc heeded the instruction but the Brit stayed out in the hope that doing something differently could give him a chance of a better result.
It backfired – Hamilton was left on old soft tyres that ran out of grip and left him a sitting duck. He was briefly ahead of Leclerc but soon lost second place to his team-mate, before he was also passed by Kimi Antonelli, Lando Norris and, on the penultimate lap, Oscar Piastri.
Writing in his Sky Sports column, Brundle said the incident proves that, given how complicated F1 cars have become in the modern era, drivers can no longer make such calls on their own intuition.
He wrote: "After the race, it emerged that switching to a one-stop strategy, which required him to complete 44 laps on the same tyres, had been Hamilton's own decision. He apologised to the team for the call.
"It is difficult to run a modern F1 car and manage the team's strategy from behind the wheel, and the incident was telling. Ferrari had seemingly expected Hamilton to pit under the VSC."
Hamilton apologised to his team over the radio before he even returned to the pit lane at the end of the race, taking full responsibility for his error. And he repeated that message of contrition as he took to his Instagram to reflect on how his Sunday went.
Hamilton told his 44 million followers: "Yesterday wasn't the result we were looking for, and that's on me. At a track that's difficult to overtake you need to try something different, and I chose a strategy that ultimately didn't deliver.
"It's a painful lesson to learn, but I take full responsibility for the decisions I made. In this sport, not every call will work out. It's about accepting when you get it wrong and how you move forward. I'm grateful to the team for the work they put in every weekend.
"P6 doesn't reflect the pace we had in the car, and despite the result there are positives to take away. Massive thanks to the fans in Singapore for the energy. I'll continue to put the work in and come back fighting at the next race."
Big moments. Packed grandstands. A championship battle that’s heating up.
When the Formula 1 season delivers like this, watching from home just isn’t the same as being there when the lights go out.
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