Lewis Hamilton raises eyebrows with social media post after publicly criticising Mercedes – In a dramatic and unexpected turn of events, Formula One icon Lewis Hamilton has posted a supportive message about Mercedes, the team he has enjoyed such success with, despite heavily criticising them in the aftermath of the Singapore Grand Prix.
Hamilton’s comments come after he publicly vented his frustration at the team’s strategic decisions during the race, particularly their choice of tyre strategy, which he believes cost him a stronger finish. The post-race controversy has sparked considerable debate in the F1 world, with the seven-time world champion now appearing to extend an olive branch to his team.
Frustration boils over in Singapore
The weekend began with high hopes for Hamilton, who qualified in an impressive third place behind Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, two of the most competitive drivers of the current F1 season.
Qualifying on the second row gave Hamilton and Mercedes the opportunity to put pressure on their rivals. However, the team made a strategic gamble by opting to start him on soft tyres, which are faster but far less durable than the medium tyres used by most of the other front runners, including his team-mate George Russell.
The idea behind Mercedes’ strategy was simple: the soft tyres would give Hamilton a performance advantage at the start, allowing him to make up positions in the crucial early laps. However, the gamble did not pay off. Hamilton failed to make any significant progress in the early stages of the race, and as the soft tyres quickly degraded, his pace dropped and he struggled to maintain his position.
He gradually dropped down the order and eventually finished a disappointing sixth, behind not only Norris and Verstappen but also George Russell, Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc.
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A strategy that didn’t work
Mercedes’ tyre gamble was soon called into question. Technical director James Allison gave a detailed explanation of the team’s thinking and admitted that, in retrospect, it was a mistake to start Hamilton on soft tyres. According to Allison, Mercedes had hoped that the extra grip from the soft tyres would allow Hamilton to gain positions at the start and put pressure on Verstappen, but the plan did not work out as they had hoped.
“We shouldn’t have started on the soft, that was a mistake,” admitted Allison in his post-race analysis.
“The reasoning was that on the soft you can often get away abruptly from the start and have a good chance of moving up a place or two in the early laps of the race.” However, he added that the plan fell apart when Hamilton failed to make early inroads and the car began to suffer from significant tyre degradation after just a few laps.
“We thought we were going to take advantage of the soft rubber to move up a place or two, but it just didn’t happen,” said Allison, before conceding that the strategy had backfired and “ruined” Hamilton’s race.
On lap five, Hamilton’s performance began to drop off significantly as his soft tyres wore out faster than expected. This forced Mercedes to bring him in for an early pit stop, putting him at a disadvantage for the rest of the race. From there, there was little Hamilton could do to recover as Russell, Leclerc and Piastri all gained ground on him with superior tyre strategies.
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Hamilton’s anger
After the race, Hamilton made no secret of his displeasure. The 39-year-old openly expressed his frustration at Mercedes’ decision to “split” their strategies between him and his team-mate George Russell. While Russell was allowed to start on medium tyres, Hamilton felt he should have been given the same opportunity. He argued that the softer tyres were too risky given the track conditions, but his recommendations were ultimately overruled by the team.
“We sat in our meeting on the morning of the race, actually the night before, and they had already mentioned that they wanted to split the cars,” explained Hamilton.
“And for me it was a bit confusing. Because in the past, when we’ve been in that position, we haven’t done it.”
Hamilton also revealed that he had tried to push back the strategy during pre-race discussions.
“I fought as hard as I could to go on the medium tyre, but the team kept suggesting I go on the soft,” he said.
“When they took the tyre blankets off and I saw everyone else on mediums, I was so angry. I was frustrated from that moment on.”
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Hamilton’s social media post
In a development that surprised many in the F1 community, Hamilton has since taken to social media to issue a more conciliatory message. Despite his earlier outburst, the Briton acknowledged that the team had made a collective decision and that, although frustrating, he had agreed to the strategy before the race.
Writing on Instagram, Hamilton said: “I know there’s been a lot of talk about the last race and our strategy in Singapore that just didn’t work. When that happens it’s natural to be frustrated and it’s easy for me to speak out in frustration.”
Hamilton went on to explain the team’s thinking behind the strategy: “We knew that starting on the soft tyre was a bold and risky move, but one that could give us an advantage, and ultimately I agreed with that recommendation. We also miscalculated what others might do.”
He went on to insist that his relationship with Mercedes remains as strong as ever and played down any suggestion of a rift.
“Make no mistake, things are cool with the team. As with all successful partnerships, you have to have some lows to have the highs,” he added.
“We are not afraid of those difficult conversations and challenging moments, which is why we have achieved so much together. We will support each other until the end. It’s all love.”
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Mixed reaction from F1 fans
The post took many fans by surprise, given Hamilton’s previous post-race outbursts. Some praised the driver for his maturity and team spirit, while others speculated that the post was a tactical move to maintain team harmony as the season draws to a close.
One fan on X (formerly Twitter) wrote: “LH is just too good a leader, which is one of the main reasons for his success with Mercedes in F1.”
Another added: “He doesn’t want his situation to get any worse, I can understand that.”
Others, however, were more sceptical, suggesting that Hamilton’s comments may have been prompted by a desire to avoid escalating tensions with Mercedes ahead of his move to Ferrari at the end of the season.
“Always the team player in the end,” commented one fan, suggesting that Hamilton’s carefully worded post may have been intended to leave Mercedes on good terms despite the Singapore debacle.
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Looking ahead to future races
As the F1 season enters its final stages, the spotlight remains firmly on Hamilton and Mercedes. The Singapore Grand Prix was a missed opportunity for both driver and team, but they will be looking to bounce back in the remaining races. Hamilton’s recent comments suggest that, despite the setback, he remains committed to working closely with the team to ensure a strong finish to the season.
With Hamilton set to join Ferrari next year, the final races of 2024 will be crucial for the driver to end his long and successful partnership with Mercedes on a positive note.
The incident in Singapore highlighted the complexity of team dynamics in F1, where split-second decisions can make or break a race.
For now, Hamilton’s supporters will be hoping that his message of unity and support will act as a catalyst for strong performances in the coming races. The jury remains firmly out on that topic however.
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