How Hamilton endured a slog to sixth in Singapore · RaceFans

Lewis Hamilton’s frustration with his strategy in the Singapore Grand Prix became clear shortly after he was overtaken by his team mate George Russell.

The pair shared the second row of the grid at the start. But Mercedes opted to put Hamilton on soft tyres, which led him to pit earlier than most of his rivals, three of whom passed him before the end of the race. He later said he was “so angry” with the decision.

Here’s how his race unfolded on his radio.

Hamilton’s Singapore Grand Prix radio

Jump to:

“It’s going to be a tough afternoon”
“You should both be managing”
“You’ve taken too much out”
“It’ll be close with Gasly”
“We just had a bit of a steep drop”
“Have I stopped before everyone?”
“George is coming by because I’ve got no grip”
“Sometimes I wonder why I do this”
“I can see him”
“Just up the lift-and-coast”
“Does everyone else have deg like that?”
“Sorry we gave you a car that was not good enough”

“It’s going to be a tough afternoon”

Hamilton was disappointed to discover that, while his team had decided he should start the race on the soft tyre compound, every other driver in the top 13 lined up on the medium rubber. When he was unable to pass either of the drivers ahead of him at the start, he knew he faced a difficult race.

“You should both be managing”

Hamilton’s team mate George Russell, who started on mediums, briefly closed in, but the team told both they needed to save their tyres at this stage.

“You’ve taken too much out”

Compounding his problems, Hamilton reported his front wing angle was set too low.

“It’ll be close with Gasly”

Hamilton pitted earlier than most of the front runners, which dropped him into traffic.

“We just had a bit of a steep drop”

Bonnington remarked to Hamilton that his soft tyres began to go off particularly quickly at the end of his first stint.

“Have I stopped before everyone?”

Facing a 45-lap stint on his hard tyres, Hamilton warned his team it would be difficult for him to keep others behind in the second half of the race.

“George is coming by because I’ve got no grip”

Within less than 10 laps of his pit stop, Hamilton had lost enough time to his team mate that Russell could now pit and rejoin the track ahead of him, which he did on lap 27.

“Sometimes I wonder why I do this”

Hamilton was especially displeased to see his team mate jump ahead of him.

“I can see him”

McLaren considered bringing Oscar Piastri in early so that he wouldn’t drop behind Hamilton. Despite their driver’s concerns he wouldn’t be able to pass Hamilton if he fell behind the him, McLaren left him out, and he emerged behind the Mercedes.

“Just up the lift-and-coast”

However Piastri picked Hamilton off with ease at turn seven, meaning he now had to worry about the Ferraris closing on him.

“Does everyone else have deg like that?”

Leclerc passed Hamilton on lap 49. He didn’t lose any more positions from then on, but drew his team’s attention to his high levels of tyre degradation.

“Sorry we gave you a car that was not good enough”

Not for the first time this year, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff apologised for the performance of their car.

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