Toto Wolff has admitted that Mercedes “misread the race” regarding Lewis Hamilton’s strategy for the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix.
Hamilton produced a remarkable effort to show the tide in qualifying to take third place in the beginning of the Marina Bay Circuit, moving behind championship protagonists Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.
However, when the tyre blankets were removed for the beginning of the race, Hamilton was one in every of only two drivers, alongside Daniel Ricciardo, to begin on the red-walled soft tyre, while many of the field opted for the medium.
Singapore has a history of small gaps within the early stages of races, given the excessive tyre management utilized by the leading drivers, but McLaren's improved pace allowed Norris to push harder and extend his lead in the primary stage. This hurt Hamilton's strategy, who was unable to increase his stage so far as needed, eventually ending sixth.
Responding to the decision for strategy, team boss Wolff explained: “I believe we misjudged the race.
“We made the choice based on the historic races in Singapore, where the race is sort of a procession, much like Monaco, and we felt that the soft tyres would give him a probability in the beginning.
“That was just about the one opportunity to overtake. It was a foul decision that we made together. It gave the impression of a superb offset, but with the rear tire ratio we had, it was just one-sided and backwards.
Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO of the Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, within the garage
Photo: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
“So there was some logic behind it, but of course it was against what we should have decided, but it doesn't change the fact that the car is too slow. Maybe the opponents are in front of us or behind us, but it doesn't change anything.”
Ricciardo's decision to change to soft tyres from the back of the grid backfired and the RB driver eventually pitted for a 3rd time to refute Norris a degree by stealing the fastest lap.
This led to conspiracy theories about RB being linked to Red Bull, but Wolff has denied any wrongdoing by the team.
“I think we’re probably going to have to use all the strategies we know,” he said when asked in regards to the issue.
“I don't think it was dirty play, not at all, it could go to a point. It's within the rules, the drivers weren't unfair to each other. I think it's just about who gets the extra point. No problem.”
