Hamilton shoulders blame as VSC blunder drops him to sixth in Singapore

Lewis Hamilton took personal responsibility for a costly strategy error at the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday, after choosing to stay out under a virtual safety car on lap 39 cost him a podium finish at Marina Bay and left him sixth at the chequered flag.

The VSC was triggered when Lance Stroll pulled over with a suspected clutch failure in his Aston Martin. At that point Hamilton had already completed 21 laps on soft tyres, while team-mate Charles Leclerc — running 4.4 seconds ahead on a 15-lap medium stint — seized the opportunity for a cheap second stop. Hamilton elected to stay out, ultimately running a mammoth 44-lap stint on softs that unravelled badly in the closing stages.

The decision proved devastating. Hamilton finished nearly 46 seconds behind Leclerc, with Ferrari’s data suggesting the tactical call cost him roughly 41.5 seconds. He even dropped behind Oscar Piastri, who was forced to stop after the VSC period due to a slow puncture.

“Sorry, boys,” Hamilton told his team on the radio after the race. “I let you down today with that strategy. My call, and I lost us valuable points. I’ll try and make up for it in the next one. Great job with the pitstop though.” Racing engineer Carlo Santi replied simply: “Understood, thank you Lewis.”

The result carries significant championship implications. Hamilton’s lead over fourth-placed Max Verstappen in the drivers’ standings has been cut to just eight points, after the Dutchman claimed his maiden Singapore Grand Prix victory. Leclerc, meanwhile, maximised the day for Ferrari by finishing on the podium.

Hamilton’s willingness to accept fault publicly is notable given the circumstances — the Ferraris were close enough to have been double-stacked during the VSC window, meaning Leclerc’s stop did not necessarily preclude his own. The seven-time world champion’s decision to stay out ultimately transformed a potential podium into a damage-limitation exercise that fell short.