Hamilton Assumes His Mistake in Singapore: 'Painful Lesson'

Lewis Hamilton has taken responsibility for his disappointing Singapore Grand Prix result. The British Ferrari driver, who finished sixth after a strategic bet that did not go as expected, acknowledged that the decision to stay on track under the Virtual Safety Car was exclusively his and apologized to the team for the lost points: "Today was not the result we were looking for, and it was my fault,"  Lewis Hamilton declared in a statement released after the race.

The day began well for the Briton, who started from third on medium tires. Hamilton was the first to pit for the soft compound, and when the Virtual Safety Car was deployed, he could make a second stop. His teammate, Charles Leclerc, used the neutralization to change tires, but Hamilton initially missed the pit entry and then stayed out to try to finish the race on a single stop. A risky bet that ultimately proved counterproductive.

"On a track where it is difficult to overtake, you need to try something different. I chose to start on a new medium tire, go long and try to make a one-stop work; unfortunately, the medium did not perform as well as the soft," Hamilton explained. The Briton acknowledged that he had a good second stint and that the pace returned, but that he could not progress enough: "Under the VSC, the team called me to the pits, but I missed the entry. After that, I decided to stay on track and try to hold the position until the end, but in the last laps I was suffering a lot with the tire degradation, and I lost three positions," he added.

The final result, a sixth place, does not reflect, according to Lewis Hamilton, the true potential of the SF-26 at Marina Bay: "I finished P6, which does not reflect the pace we had in the car today, a painful lesson, but I assume full responsibility for the decisions I made. Not all bets work out, and I can accept being wrong, but I feel for the team for the points we lost today. They give so much every weekend, and I wanted to give them more," stated the seven-time world champion.

Hamilton, who felt unwell after the race and was attended to by the FIA medical team, received permission not to attend the press conference. His message, however, was clear: he accepts his mistake, apologizes, and promises to return stronger at the next event: "I will keep working, and I will fight again in the next race," he concluded.

Ferrari, for its part, faces the final stretch of the season, needing to recover points and keep its constructors' championship aspirations alive. Hamilton's failed bet in Singapore reminds us that, in Formula 1, every decision counts and the margins for error are minimal.