Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff described his team’s Singapore Grand Prix performance as “really painful” after they failed to capitalise on their second row lock-out.
While George Russell finished where he started, in fourth place, Lewis Hamilton dropped back three places from his third place start. Wolff admitted the team made a mistake by putting him on the soft tyre compound for the start of the race, while every other driver in the top 10 used mediums.
“Our strategy decisions in the race were determined by our experiences in the past here where track position is crucial,” Wolff explained. “We thought that the soft tyre would give Lewis an advantage at the start but that turned out to be the wrong decision.
“With our challenges managing the rear surfaces, we went backwards. Overtaking proved possible, contrary to previous races here where it has been more processional, and in hindsight we should have started him on the medium.”
However Wolff said the team’s core problem was its W15’s poor race pace. “We were too slow today,” he admitted.
“We are struggling at the moment with tracks that are hot and demanding on traction, like here and Baku, but that is no excuse. It is difficult for us to accept but we must do and find a way to improve.”
Neither Mercedes driver spoke to the media after taking the chequered flag as the team said they needed time to “recover from the exertions of this evening’s race,” which is regularly one of the most punishing on the calendar.
In a statement issued by Mercedes afterwards, Hamilton said “it is hard to describe the range of emotions you feel when we have a difficult race like that.”
“This year continues to be a testing one for everyone, but we are all pushing as hard as we can. We don’t always get things right and that was the case today with our strategy. We all head into the weekend, and every decision we take, with the right intentions and sometimes it doesn’t work out. It can be frustrating, but we are all in this together.”
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2024 Singapore Grand Prix
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