Lewis Hamilton issued an immediate apology to his Ferrari team after a difficult Singapore Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion lined up third on the grid, one place behind Charles Leclerc, as Ferrari had a strong opportunity to secure a double podium finish on a circuit where overtaking is difficult.
However, it did not pan out that way. Hamilton was on an alternative strategy and, on the soft tyres, had more pace in the early stages than Leclerc on the mediums. That changed around when they both pitted for the first time.
Virtual safety car disrupts plan
Things really fell apart for Hamilton when a virtual safety car came out. There was enough of a gap between the two Ferrari cars for a double stack of pit stops, and that was what they intended to do. However, while Leclerc filed into the pit lane, Hamilton stayed out on track.
He did so for the rest of the race, despite being on really old soft tyres which gave him no grip at all. That left him a sitting duck for Leclerc, while he was also falling away quickly from Max Verstappen, who was left with a simple Sunday drive to the chequered flag.
Hamilton loses places
Things got worse for Hamilton after he lost third place to Kimi Antonelli, as Lando Norris was also catching quickly. The Ferrari driver went off track while defending from the McLaren, which saw him placed under investigation by the Formula One stewards. No further action was taken, as it was not long before Hamilton, unable to defend any longer, was swept past by his fellow Brit.
Ferrari hoped he would at least be able to defend fifth place, but Oscar Piastri was closing quickly and it was clear Hamilton had his work cut out. He put up as much of a fight as he could, but he was sliding around everywhere on those shot tyres, and the Aussie ended up making light work of the Ferrari on the penultimate lap.
Hamilton apologises on the radio
Once he had taken the chequered flag himself, crossing the line sixth, Hamilton jumped onto the radio to apologise for getting the call wrong. He said: "Sorry boys, I let you down today with that strategy. My call lost us valuable points. I'll try to make up for it [on the] next one. Great job with pit stops."
