Ferrari's strategy decisions and its communication with its drivers are under fresh scrutiny after the Singapore Grand Prix, where Lewis Hamilton overrode a team call to pit under a lap-39 Virtual Safety Car. Hamilton finished sixth instead of a likely third after struggling on worn tyres.
On team radio after the race, Hamilton apologised for "my call" on strategy, and he later admitted on social media that he had learned a "painful lesson" by choosing "a strategy that ultimately didn't deliver". It was the second weekend running that post-race debate around Ferrari centred on race strategy. At the Bahrain Grand Prix the week before, Ferrari's drivers slipped to the back of the field after the team started on slick tyres when the track was too wet. Hamilton later said the process around that call had prompted a "huge discussion" after the race.
Hamilton had recovered to an impressive third place at Sepang by staying on slicks longer than team-mate Charles Leclerc, a gamble aided by a timely Safety Car as the track dried.
On the latest edition of The F1 Show podcast, Sky Sports F1's Bernie Collins, a former head of race strategy at Aston Martin, was asked whether Singapore showed that trust between Hamilton and the Ferrari pit wall had broken down. Collins noted that Hamilton started on the medium tyre, a decision he later called the wrong one, and stopped earlier than the rest of the field. She said the team's chance to pit under the Virtual Safety Car to fit a fresh set of soft tyres was clearly the faster option.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing