Lewis Hamilton finished P6 at the 2026 Singapore GP after starting P3. The strategic decision to stay out, made by the seven-time F1 champion, meant he was overtaken by three cars in the final laps. The Briton then came out and apologized to the team after the disastrous result.
Lewis Hamilton was the only driver in the Top 6 to start the race on medium tyres. Nearing Lap 20, Ferrari asked the Briton to pick up the pace, to which he replied that he was already pushing.
This resulted in Ferrari switching from Plan C, which was a one-stop, to Plan B, a two-stop, and putting Hamilton on soft tyres. A VSC was deployed on Lap 39 for Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin. It was the perfect opportunity to pit Hamilton.
Ferrari instead pitted Charles Leclerc. According to the broadcast, Ferrari did prepare for a double stack, but Hamilton missed the pit entry. However, this hasn’t been confirmed as of yet by the Briton or his team.
Ferrari then reminded Hamilton that he was on a two-stop strategy. However, the seven-time F1 champion made the decision to stay out on track and somehow make the one-stop work.
Lewis Hamilton decided not to pit, and was eventually overtaken by Kimi Antonelli, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. If the Briton pitted when Ferrari had asked him, he would’ve come out ahead of Piastri, and on fresher tires than Norris and Antonelli.
After the race ended, Lewis Hamilton apologized to his team for making the strategy call himself, as he said,
“Sorry, boys. I let you down today with that strategy… my call… lost us valuable points. I’ll try and make up for it in the next one. Great job with the pit stops.”
Charles Leclerc finished P2, less than ten seconds behind Max Verstappen.
Lewis Hamilton and his race engineer Carlo Santi’s communication about the second stop at Singapore GP
Just a few more laps after the VSC, Ferrari told Hamilton that the window for Plan B was getting close. The Ferrari driver’s response on the radio was,
“We are on Plan B. We are getting close. We are getting close,” Santi
“I can’t just hold it up?” replied Hamilton
“Coming back to you,” responded Santi
Just a few laps later, the conversation between Lewis Hamilton and his race engineer was,
“Can I hold position? If I pit, what do I lose?” asked Hamilton
“We are losing 2 positions with the delta plan,” replied Santi
“But if we’re already losing 2 positions, should we wait and see if a VSC comes out?” asked Hamilton.
“We can try,” responded his race engineer.
While the Ferraris were no match for Max Verstappen’s blistering pace, a double podium was on the cards had Hamilton pitted under the VSC.
