Sports
Mercedes Technical Chief Acknowledges Strategy Error That Spoiled Hamilton’s Singapore Grand Prix
Mercedes admits to a significant error that negatively affected Lewis Hamilton's race in the Singapore Grand Prix
Mercedes discusses their choice to begin the race with Lewis Hamilton on soft tires in Singapore.
James Allison, the technical director for Mercedes, has conceded that choosing soft tyres for Lewis Hamilton's start at the Singapore Grand Prix was unequivocally a misstep.
Hamilton was the sole racer among the top 10 to choose softer tires for the beginning of Sunday's race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
The seven-time world champion couldn't secure a position at the beginning, even though he attempted to overtake Max Verstappen at Turn 1.
At that moment, Hamilton's speed significantly dropped, leading him to enter the pit lane on the 17th lap.
This turned out to be prematurely calculated, as teammate George Russell managed to undercut him, leading to his defeat by both Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc.
Hamilton expressed his disapproval of the strategy at a Petronas-sponsored event after the Singapore Grand Prix.
In a video posted on Mercedes' YouTube channel, Allison shared the reasoning behind selecting the soft tires.
"Before I delve into the details, I want to begin by acknowledging: our initial choice to go with soft tires was incorrect," he stated. "Given the chance to redo our decision, we would follow the example of our competitors and opt for the medium tires.
The logic behind the decision was that using the soft tyre typically enables a quick departure at the race's commencement, offering a solid opportunity to advance one or two positions during the initial laps. Prior to the race, there wasn't any anticipation of encountering the challenges we ultimately faced with the soft rubber.
We envisioned gaining the advantage of using soft rubber, hoping it would secure us a spot or two higher. However, that didn't happen due to the way the starts unfolded.
We were optimistic that the slight vulnerability of the soft tires wouldn't significantly impact performance. This is because, historically, races in Singapore tend to begin at a slower pace, with drivers gradually increasing their speed over numerous laps. This approach typically allows soft tires to remain effective for a considerable portion of the pit window.
From the beginning, we didn't secure the position, and the race's intensity began to escalate around the fifth lap. This situation left Lewis with a vehicle that was already underperforming, experiencing significant wear and tear, and necessitating an earlier pit stop than planned. This effectively spoiled his race. It was a definite oversight.
Explore Further
Sign Up for Our Formula 1 Mailing List
Receive the most recent updates, exclusive content, interviews, and special offers from the Formula 1 circuit straight to your email.
For additional details, please refer to our Privacy Policy
Recent Updates
Further Updates
Website Navigation
Crash.Net
©1999-2024 Crash Media Group
Reproducing text, photographs, or illustrations in full or in part is strictly prohibited.
Discover more from Automobilnews News - The first AI News Portal world wide
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.