Lewis Hamilton entered the Singapore Grand Prix with high hopes after securing an impressive third-place start during qualifying. The seven-time world champion seemed poised for a strong finish at the Marina Bay Circuit, but a strategic misstep by Mercedes cost him a potential podium, with Hamilton eventually finishing in sixth place.

Hamilton, known for his candor, did not hold back in expressing his frustration after the race, particularly with Mercedes’ decision to start him on soft tires, while many of the other top teams opted for medium compounds.

Despite his initial third-place position, Hamilton quickly found himself struggling to keep pace as the softer tires degraded rapidly under the challenging track conditions.

“We had our team meeting the morning of the race, and the idea of splitting car strategies came up,” Hamilton said during a Petronas event celebrating their sponsor’s 50th anniversary. “It didn’t make sense to me, especially when we were so close on the grid.” Hamilton had argued for starting on medium tires but was overruled by the team. “I fought hard for the medium tires, but they insisted on softs,” he added.

As the race unfolded, the decision proved costly. By lap 17, Hamilton was forced to pit, much earlier than planned, and from that point on, his race was compromised. Despite his best efforts to manage tire wear and stay competitive, Hamilton could only manage a sixth-place finish, falling behind his teammate George Russell, who finished fourth.

Hamilton, at 39 and one of the most experienced drivers on the grid, questioned the decision-making process at Mercedes. “I was so angry from that moment,” he admitted, explaining how the softer tire choice left him on the back foot for the entire race. “The hard tires would struggle in that heat, and we’d been battling car balance issues all weekend,” Hamilton said, hinting that recent upgrades to the car may have played a part in the team’s struggles.

Mercedes’ technical chief, James Allison, took responsibility for the error, acknowledging in a post-race debrief on the team’s YouTube channel that they made a mistake starting on soft tires. “If we could turn back time, we would have chosen the mediums like the other teams did,” Allison explained. The team had hoped the soft tires would provide Hamilton with an early advantage, but the reality of Singapore’s race pace quickly shattered that expectation.

Team principal Toto Wolff echoed similar sentiments, admitting that Mercedes “read the race wrong” and that the decision to go with softs ultimately backfired due to tire degradation. Wolff also pointed out that the issues ran deeper than just the strategy, noting that the car’s performance was not where it needed to be to compete with the frontrunners. “The car is simply too slow,” Wolff admitted. “Even if we had the right strategy, the underlying pace wasn’t there.”

The Singapore GP was a stark contrast to Hamilton’s famous victory at the track in 2018, where he delivered one of the best pole position laps of his career. This year, despite an impressive qualifying performance, the race itself highlighted the ongoing challenges Mercedes faces.

Former F1 driver David Coulthard weighed in on Channel 4, remarking that Mercedes appeared “lost at sea” during the weekend’s free practice sessions. He also noted the relief on Hamilton’s face after qualifying in the top three, only for that hope to be dashed by the team’s strategy call.

As Formula 1 enters a brief four-week break before the final stretch of the season, Mercedes is focused on understanding their recent dip in performance and improving their car ahead of the upcoming U.S. Grand Prix in Austin. Allison hinted at new upgrades in the works for the race, saying, “We have a fairly significant package of new parts for the car, which we hope will give us a solid weekend in Austin.”

Hamilton and the team remain determined to bounce back and finish the season on a high note. With only a few races left, all eyes will be on Mercedes to see if they can solve their car issues and regain their competitive edge.

Fans and analysts alike are eagerly waiting to see whether the upcoming upgrades will help Hamilton and Mercedes turn their fortunes around as the 2024 season draws to a close.