Lewis Hamilton was left frustrated as a Mercedes error caused a major setback for the star at the Singapore Grand Prix.
Despite starting the race in P3 and on the soft tyres, the champion’s evening fell apart after he nearly hit the wall following his first pit stop.
Hamilton soon started to bemoan the hard tyres he switched onto on Lap 17, and admitted that he was ‘struggling’ on the compound.
“You’re killing me with this offset, mate,” he added.
“Something is definitely wrong with the car, mate. Tyres are dropping off.”
A strategy error has ruined Lewis Hamilton’s Singapore GPLewis Hamilton frustrated at Mercedes strategy error
Hamilton also appeared puzzled as to why his pitstop was so early, and predicted they would suffer later on in the race due to their early tyre woes.
The Mercedes star’s frustrations resurfaced when he struggled to get past Yuki Tsunoda, and attempted to overtake him down the backstraight, but instead Hamilton ran off the track which allowed the RB back through.
Hamilton’s misery was further compounded when George Russell entered the pits, and came out ahead of his team-mate on fresher tyres.
These errors have delivered a severe blow to the seven-time world champion, who secured a third place start exceeding his own expectations.
Crucially, Hamilton has also missed out on a spot on a podium position, as the McLaren of Oscar Piastri stormed past the Mercedes’.
