**”Perplexed and Angry: Lewis Hamilton Criticizes Mercedes’ Strategy After Singapore GP Struggles”**

Lewis Hamilton has expressed feelings of confusion and frustration over Mercedes' choice to employ different strategies during the Singapore Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton disclosed that he "fought with all his effort" to begin the F1 Singapore Grand Prix on medium tires, expressing his confusion over Mercedes' strategic decisions.

Starting the race from the third position on the grid, Lewis Hamilton was joined by his teammate George Russell, who secured the fourth spot. Unlike his competitors who opted for medium tyres, Hamilton chose to begin on the red-walled soft tyres.

The seven-time world champion expressed frustration with his race strategy after finishing in sixth place at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. Over the team radio, he angrily stated that Mercedes was "killing" him with the timing.

The Mercedes drivers were excused from their post-race media duties after team boss Toto Wolff disclosed that they were experiencing symptoms close to heatstroke.

During a Petronas-sponsored event held in Kuala Lumpur, Hamilton expressed his confusion over Mercedes’ choice to begin the race on soft tires, stating that the decision "didn't make sense to me."

"It wasn't enjoyable," Hamilton commented about the race. "During our morning meeting before the race, and even the night before, they had already discussed the idea of separating the cars."

"I found it somewhat confusing, as typically in previous similar situations, if George has secured a good qualifying position, which he usually does, and I'm not in the top 10, we would adopt different strategies."

"However, being so near made it illogical to me, so I fought vigorously to switch to the medium tires, but the team kept insisting that I begin with the soft ones."

“When the tire warmers were removed and all the cars were equipped with medium compound tires…”

Sitting next to Hamilton, Russell chimed in and remarked, "When I saw that, I thought, 'Lewis isn't going to be pleased.'"

"I was really upset. I started feeling frustrated right from that point," Hamilton added.

"I gave it my all to stay with the leaders, but their speed was overwhelming. After that, my focus shifted to preserving the tyre for as long as possible."

"I had to halt on Lap 17, and from that point, I realized my race was essentially over since the hard tires would be difficult to manage in such high temperatures."

“We had difficulty finding the right setup for the car throughout the entire weekend. We made numerous adjustments. While our qualifying performance was strong, the race itself proved to be too challenging for us.”

Wolff admitted that Mercedes' strategy choice was a "mistake".

"We made our decision influenced by previous Singapore races, which typically resemble a parade similar to Monaco. We believed that the soft tire would provide him with an advantage at the beginning,” Wolff explained to reporters in Singapore.

"That was essentially the only chance to pass. We all collectively made the wrong choice."

"It seemed like a reasonable strategy, but due to the wear on the rear tire, it only led to us falling behind. There was some rationale to the decision, but clearly, it was the wrong choice. Nevertheless, the main issue remains that the car lacks speed."

The evening was extremely tough. The issue isn't just about the final standings—fourth and sixth place—which are disappointing, particularly considering they began in third and fourth positions.

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