After Esteban Ocon pulled up by the side of the track in Lap 43 of the Singapore GP, Mercedes took a gamble of pitting both the cars with a fresh set of mediums. In doing so, they lost a couple of places which was perfectly fine for George Russell. However, for Lewis Hamilton, it would have been different as the seven-time world champion would have chosen to stay out despite having the Virtual Safety Car, as he said during the post race press conference.
The gamble nearly paid off as Russell and Hamilton’s W14 turned into a rocket ship with the new set of tires. They recovered the chunk of time they lost during the pit stop and were breathing at the neck of Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz.
Back on the Singapore GP podium. 🤩 pic.twitter.com/oGxsembDJu
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) September 17, 2023
However, a last-minute crash ended all hope for Russell as he went straight into the barrier. This finished Mercedes’ hope for a win, let alone podiums, and due to this, for Hamilton staying out was the better option.
Hamilton shared his take on Mercedes’ risky strategy
As Hamilton attended the post-race press conference with Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris, he answered multiple questions asked by the reporters. One such question that Tom Clarkson asked the Mercedes driver was about the strategy and if it was the right move.
Answering this, the 38-year-old initially agreed that the risk was worth taking because Mercedes had an extra set of medium tires in reserve. However, after this, he added, “George was in second position maybe, [before the pit stop]. If I was in his position, I would have probably stayed out and kept the McLaren behind.”
Heartbreaking end to the race. We went bold and it so nearly paid off, but it’s these tiny margins that make the difference between victory and defeat. Proud of the team tonight and gutted I didn’t deliver the result they deserved. I’ll be back stronger. pic.twitter.com/hwTmqvETYk
— George Russell (@GeorgeRussell63) September 17, 2023
While Russell’s crash in the end could be a regret for the 25-year-old and the team, Hamilton has his own regret that he admitted after the Singapore GP race.
Hamilton’s regret that saw him stay winless for almost two years
Sergio Perez already mentioned before the Singapore Grand Prix was underway that taking the pole in Singapore is the key to winning the race. This was something Lewis Hamilton failed to capitulate on and therefore saw his race-winning chances vanish on Sunday.
Speaking about it to Sky Sports as per deni on X, formerly Twitter, he said that he was disappointed with his qualification performance on Saturday. His teammate Russell was very close to the pole, instead, he should have been on the pole.
Admittedly, the changes after the FP3 jeopardized Hamilton’s shot at the qualifying as he could only manage P5, that too in Red Bull’s absence. Nevertheless, the Mercedes star lost one rare chance to be a race winner since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
