Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton issues a public apology after the 2026 Singapore GP for taking the strategic decisions regarding pit stops into his own hands. However, this wasn’t the first time that the Briton has issued a public apology.
Racing drivers are known for having a book of excuses ready in case things don’t go their way. However, Lewis Hamilton isn’t one of them. The Briton stands up, accepts his mistake, and apologizes for it. Let’s have a look at five instances where Hamilton issues a public apology in F1.
#1 2026 Singapore GP: Lewis Hamilton apologized for not following the team’s strategy call
Hamilton’s lack of pace in the first stint meant Ferrari switched him to a two-stop strategy for the Singapore GP. However, when an opportunity presented itself to pit under VSC for the second stop, the Ferrari driver failed to box into the pit lane.
This resulted in Lewis Hamilton being on old tires towards the end of the race, and being overtaken by three drivers. After starting P3, he finished P6. The seven-time F1 champion issued a public statement after the race and apologized to the team.
“A painful lesson today, but I take full responsibility for the decisions I made. Not every call will work out, and I can accept getting it wrong, but I’m sorry for the team for the points we lost today. They put so much into every weekend, and I wanted to deliver more for them. I’ll continue to put the work in and come back fighting at the next race,” read a part of the statement issued by Hamilton
#2 2026 Dutch GP: Hamilton apologized for heated radio messages
At the 2026 Dutch GP, Hamilton was stuck behind his teammate Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque driver was on older tires as compared to the Briton. Ferrari only boxed Leclerc on Lap 43; prior to that, Hamilton lost multiple seconds off lap time behind his teammate.
This sparked a sarcastic message from the seven-time F1 champion on the radio as he said, “Great way of wasting time, guys, good job.” After the race weekend, Hamilton took to social media and apologized for the radio messages, as he wrote,
“I’ve listened back to some of my radio and TV comments. In the heat of the moment, frustration can come out, especially when you care as deeply as I do. But that wasn’t the best version of me. I take responsibility for that, and I’ll be better.”
#3 2026 Hungarian GP: Lewis Hamilton apologized for his behaviour in media pen after qualifying
Lewis Hamilton qualified P2 at the 2026 Hungarian GP. However, the Briton had impeded Oscar Piastri during the session and was summoned by the Stewards. Speaking with the media after qualifying, and before seeing the Stewards, Hamilton was frustrated, and it was seen in the interview.
Hamilton was given a grid drop for impeding. Before the race on Sunday, he came out and apologized for his behaviour after qualifying, as he said,
“Yesterday was really difficult. Forgive me for my attitude after [qualifying]. I had done such a great session, and then I got a call right at the last minute so to then know I was gonna get a penalty was tough to swallow. But it is what it is; you move forward, and I’ll give it absolutely everything for the team today.”
#4 2025 Azerbaijan GP: Hamilton apologized to Charles Leclerc after failure to swap positions
With 10 laps to go at the Azerbaijan GP, Ferrari ordered Charles Leclerc to let Lewis Hamilton go and Chase Liam Lawson. However, the Briton wasn’t able to chase down the Racing Bull. Towards the end of the race, Ferrari asked Hamilton to revert the position with Leclerc.
However, the Briton didn’t do the same. After the race, Hamilton came out and apologized for the same, as he said:
“Yeah, firstly, Charles… Obviously, I was quicker, but Charles was gracious to let me by. At the end, I got the message really late on, and I was zoned in on the car in front of me, even though there was 0.001 chance of passing.”
“I was still hopeful, maybe. Basically, I did lift on the straight and did actually brake, but I missed it by like 4 tenths, so that was just a misjudgment for myself. So I apologise to Charles. At the end of the day, it’s 8th and 9th, so…”
#5 2024 Qatar GP: Hamilton apologized to Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton faced a multitude of problems at the 2024 Qatar GP, which included a false start and a pit-lane incident. After the race, Hamilton apologized to Mercedes for the on-track incidents, as he said,
“The car and I don’t get along really that well. But we were very, very far off in the beginning and we didn’t have enough wing in to start with, the cars were quite different and it wasn’t really great to drive. But my fault today so apologises to the team for the false start and then the pit-lane incident.”
Read More: “I take full responsibility”: Lewis Hamilton issues statement after missing post-race media scrum
