Lewis Hamilton has admitted he made the wrong call on Ferrari’s run plan for Sprint Qualifying in Singapore, a strategic gamble that left the seven-time world champion languishing sixth after looking capable of challenging near the front.
The Briton had been firmly in the mix through the opening two segments, with Ferrari emerging as a serious threat after Charles Leclerc topped SQ2 and Hamilton finished just three-tenths behind his team-mate.
But when the decisive shootout arrived, the Scuderia’s approach diverged from that of its rivals – and Hamilton paid the price.
Max Verstappen ultimately stormed to sprint pole, while Hamilton finished 0.546 seconds off the Red Bull driver’s benchmark. The Ferrari racer was left confronting a costly combination of strategy and rear-end instability.
Hamilton’s different approach goes awry
While Mercedes and McLaren sent their drivers out early in SQ3 and Red Bull waited until the closing moments, Ferrari opted for a middle-ground approach. Leclerc went first, leaving himself time for a second attempt, while Hamilton followed with only one flying lap available.
The decision was Hamilton’s, and he was candid about the outcome.
“It was looking good in Q1 and Q2, and then… I don’t really know where it went away,” Hamilton commented. “We did a slightly different run plan to the others. It was my choice, and I think we got that wrong.
“But ultimately, the car was very oversteering on that lap. I don't know if the rears were not ready or if they were overheating, it was difficult to say, but it was very, very snappy, oversteery, and it just wasn't a good lap overall.”
©Ferrari
The contrast between Ferrari’s pace on the medium tyres and its performance on the soft compound was particularly striking. Hamilton had appeared comfortable earlier in qualifying, only to find the rear of his SF-26 unwilling to cooperate when it mattered most.
“Yeah, on the mediums, it was good. Just much different on the soft. Lots of grip, but only on the front and none at the rear," he epxlained.
“It could be balance, but ultimately, just… Obviously, I had the pace in the first two sessions, and then all of a sudden, I just couldn't pull. I didn't have the grip on the rear for some reason on that last lap, so, it is what it is.”
Leclerc sees a bigger problem than strategy
Leclerc fared better, qualifying third after improving to a 1m31.399s, but the Monegasque was not prepared to blame Ferrari’s run plan for the gap to Verstappen.
“Honestly, it shouldn't be an excuse,” the Monegasque clarified.
“I think the raw pace, since three or four races, we've lost a little bit of our raw performance. We're just not fast enough to fight with them just yet.
“But still, I feel like there's potential in the car. For tomorrow, maybe with some fine-tuning, we can be there or thereabouts for fighting for pole. It's not too bad, but we are missing a little bit.”
Leclerc knows that starting third is a respectable position, but Singapore’s tight layout makes track position particularly valuable.
“I mean, it's not a bad position to start on, but on a track like this, you really want to be starting on P1. Overtaking is going to be very difficult. So we'll see.
“But at the end of the day, it's only the sprint race. We'll have to do the job tomorrow in qualifying.”
Hamilton, meanwhile, will have to put his misjudged run plan behind him quickly.
Ferrari has shown enough pace to remain in contention, but the Briton’s SQ3 struggles underline how little room there is for error around Marina Bay – especially when the tyres refuse to behave as expected.
Singapore Grand Prix - Sprint qualifying results
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