Lewis Hamilton replies to worries over Mercedes relationship after strategy gaffe
"I ultimately agreed with that recommendation," he says about tyre call in Singapore
Lewis Hamilton insists “things are cool” inside the Mercedes garage despite their strategy mistake at the F1 Singapore Grand Prix.
An excellent qualifying put Hamilton third on the starting grid but he fell to a P6 finish, behind teammate George Russell.
The decision to start with soft tyres - offset to many of his rivals - resulted in an early pitstop. Hamilton made his annoyance clear via the team radio.
Toto Wolff later admitted the tyre strategy for Hamilton was wrong.
Hamilton has now addressed fears about his relationship with Mercedes, who he will leave at the end of this year to join Ferrari.
“Hey all, heading into the weekend focused on training for the next race,” Hamilton posted to social media.
“I know there has been a lot of chat around the last one and our strategy in Singapore which just didn’t work.
“When that happens it’s natural to be frustrated and easy for me to speak out in that frustration.
“We knew starting on soft tyres was a bold and risky move but one that could give us an advantage at the start and I ultimately agreed with that recommendation.
“We also miscalculated what others might do.
“Make no mistake though, things are cool with the team.
“As with all successful partnerships, you have have some lows to have the highs.
“We’re not afraid of those tricky conversations and challenging moments which is why we have achieved so much together.
“We will support each other to the very end.
“It’s all love. See you in Austin.”
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
