Hamilton critical on Mercedes team after defeat

Hamilton critical on Mercedes team after defeat
23 September 2019 by    2 min read
 14

Championship leader Lewis Hamilton criticised Mercedes after the Singapore GP.

The Briton was not even on the podium on Sunday, as Sebastian Vettel broke his long victory drought and Ferrari secured its first three-race winning streak since 2008.

Toto Wolff calls Ferrari's upgraded car a "monster", but Hamilton thinks Mercedes also messed up under the Singapore lights.

"Starting second and finishing fourth, that's not Mercedes," he told the German broadcaster RTL.

Hamilton was critical of Mercedes' race strategy, with Vettel winning because of the so-called 'undercut'.

"I said this morning that we should take the risk and do the undercut, but we didn't," he said. "It feels like Ferrari are hungrier than us. We've just got to stop dragging our feet and get on."

Team boss Wolff said race strategist James Vowles had admitted he "fu*ked up" the strategy.

But even Ferrari admitted that doing the 'undercut' with Vettel had unexpected results, in that it leapfrogged him past pole sitter Charles Leclerc.

Spa and Monza winner Leclerc was vocally angry, and team boss Mattia Binotto revealed that Ferrari even thought about swapping the positions back.

"But with a team order, we would have punished Sebastian for something he did not do himself. This time the racing luck was on his side," said the Italian.

Binotto was seen in conversation with Leclerc's manager Nicolas Todt after the race, and the Ferrari team boss said of the 21-year-old: "I think it's even good that he's upset, as it shows his commitment to the fight."

However, Vettel's win will be a relief amid a difficult period for the German. One theory is that Ferrari's newly upgraded car suits him much better.

"It's still early to say that," Binotto said. "What I am very pleased with is the third victory in a row on tracks with very different characteristics. The result is unexpected, so I'm very happy about that."

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14 F1 Fan comments on “Hamilton critical on Mercedes team after defeat”

  2. Simon Saivil

    Does this mean that Lewis will now, finally, admit that all those victories he racked up were due to the team's strategies and not to his driving (plus the victory the stewards gave him)?

  3. Johann Crafford

    Simon, this time I feel the same as you!

    About Bottas - I am totally put-off by Mercedes's misuse of Bottas - too tell him so early in the race to slow down for the sake of "teamwork"! (or in other words, "stay behind Hamilton in order to protect him"). Shame on you Mr Wolff!!

  4. ok then

    Basically the race played into the 'early stoppers' as without 3 safety cars (prevented late tyre degradation) I suspect the result would have been different.
    Rubbish street circuit!

  6. Amaya locks

    Hamilton whingeing about Mercedes strategy, cry baby mama mama I should have been on the podium. you need to take the rough with the smooth. now you have to earn your money and fight through the others cars, it's not always about you Hamilton. i'm really glad someone else won.


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