Following a critical mistake during the Singapore Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton has apologized to his team for the error that led to the loss of valuable points. The driver, who had previously aimed pointed comments at teammate Charles Leclerc before the race, faced a pivotal moment when he failed to enter the pits during a Virtual Safety Car period, which ultimately impacted his race outcome.
On October 11, Max Verstappen from Red Bull Racing secured victory in the race, with Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli from Mercedes completing the podium.
Hamilton Misses Crucial Pit Stop: “The Team Lost Points Today”
Hamilton was in a strong position to finish on the podium but neglected an important instruction from his team when Lance Stroll’s retirement triggered a Virtual Safety Car. While Ferrari called both of their drivers in for pit stops, Hamilton missed his chance to change tires, which dropped him from second to sixth place as he was overtaken by Leclerc, Antonelli, Lando Norris, and Oscar Piastri.
“It’s unfortunate because he lost a podium,” said Fred Vasseur, team principal of Ferrari, as reported by Reuters.
Taking responsibility for his misstep, Hamilton apologized to his team. “When the Virtual Safety Car was deployed, the team called me in, but I missed the entry. I decided to stay out and try to maintain my position until the end. However, in the final laps, I struggled significantly with tire degradation and lost three positions, finishing sixth, which doesn’t reflect the pace I had in the car today,” the seven-time world champion explained.
Hamilton continued, “Not every call is going to work, and I can accept that I made a mistake, but I am sorry that the team lost points today. I’m sorry, guys, I let you down with that strategy. We lost valuable points. I’ll work to make it up in the next race.”
This error comes on the heels of Hamilton’s comments directed at Leclerc a day before the Singapore Grand Prix, where he expressed hopes of collaborating to challenge Verstappen. “I hope tomorrow we can work together to beat Verstappen; that’s the only way we can apply pressure on him. I’m confident he will be fast, but we will see if we can get ahead of him,” Hamilton had stated, amidst a season filled with clashes between the two drivers.
Current Driver Standings:
The updated standings reflect Kimi Antonelli leading with 340 points, followed by George Russell with 238, Lewis Hamilton with 229, and Max Verstappen with 221 points. Other notable mentions include Charles Leclerc at 215 points and Lando Norris at 201 points.
Constructor Standings:
In the constructor standings, Mercedes leads with 561 points, followed by Ferrari with 418 points, and McLaren with 317 points. Red Bull stands at 306 points, with Racing Bulls at 94 points, and Alpine at 68 points.
