Frédéric Vasseur revealed that Lewis Hamilton missed a Ferrari instruction to enter the pits during the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday, a mistake the team principal believes cost the seven-time Formula 1 world champion a podium finish.
Ferrari had been running second and third behind Max Verstappen when the Virtual Safety Car created an opportunity to change tyres. According to Vasseur, both Charles Leclerc and Hamilton were instructed to pit, but Hamilton failed to enter the pit lane, leaving him on a strategy that ultimately dropped him to sixth.
The explanation provides new context for Hamilton’s apology to Ferrari after the race, when the British driver accepted responsibility for a decision that cost the team valuable points.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Vasseur explained what happened during the neutralisation period.
“Yeah, we called him, we called them both to pit. That would have been P2-P3 because we were P2-P3 on track, and he missed the pit entry. And honestly, it’s a bit of a shame because he’s losing a podium too,” Vasseur said.
The Ferrari boss indicated that the instruction had been communicated clearly when asked whether he understood what had happened.
“Well, it was crystal clear on the radio. But okay, now let’s be focused on Austin. His performance this weekend was okay. We have to be focused on the future.”
Ferrari’s split tyre strategy leaves Hamilton exposed
Ferrari had started Sunday’s Grand Prix with different tyre compounds on its two cars, hoping to create alternative opportunities to challenge Verstappen.
Leclerc began on soft tyres, while Hamilton started on mediums. The decision reflected uncertainty over tyre behaviour after Friday’s limited dry running and Saturday’s wet sprint.
Vasseur explained that the teams had entered the Grand Prix with limited information about how the compounds would perform over a long stint, making the opening strategy particularly difficult to predict.
“I think the main issue, it was true for everybody. On the grid, you have a 50-50,” Vasseur said.
“It’s that FP1 you don’t do so many laps, and we all did laps with hard that we didn’t want to touch for the race, and we were expecting to do the longest stint during the sprint race, but the sprint race was with intermediates.”
The lack of representative data proved significant. Ferrari subsequently discovered that the soft compound performed better than expected, while Hamilton initially struggled to match the pace of his teammate and Verstappen.
“I think that we all started the race completely blind with the tyres, and I think today the soft was much better than the medium,” Vasseur explained.
“That’s why Lewis started to struggle at the beginning and a bit less at the end. But yeah, I think we are all in the same situation, starting the race a bit blind, and it’s true that for us, with the two cars two and three, it was a good opportunity to take different options to fight with Max.”
Ferrari’s approach followed Hamilton’s belief after qualifying that the team needed to use both cars to put Verstappen under pressure. The strategy was designed to give the Scuderia more than one opportunity to challenge Red Bull rather than committing both drivers to the same plan.
Vasseur also confirmed that Ferrari had deliberately kept open the possibility of a two-stop race, depending on how the Grand Prix developed.
“We kept the door open for the two options depending on the VSC and so on,” he said.
Hamilton loses podium as Ferrari’s Singapore gamble unravels
The missed pit entry proved particularly costly because Hamilton had remained in contention for a podium despite struggling during the opening stint.
The opportunity to stop under the Virtual Safety Car could have protected Ferrari’s second and third positions, according to Vasseur. Instead, Hamilton stayed on track and eventually lost ground to Kimi Antonelli, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Hamilton finished sixth, while Leclerc secured second behind Verstappen. Ferrari collected 26 championship points, but the team principal believes the final result did not reflect the full potential of its weekend.
After the chequered flag, Hamilton acknowledged his responsibility over the team radio.
“Sorry, boys. I let you down today with that strategy. My call, and I lost us valuable points. I’ll try and make up for it in the next one,” Hamilton said.
Vasseur’s explanation clarifies the decision behind that apology. Ferrari had called Hamilton into the pits, but the driver missed the entry, rather than the team deliberately choosing to keep him on track throughout the VSC.
The setback was especially frustrating because Ferrari had demonstrated strong pace throughout the Singapore weekend. Leclerc and Hamilton qualified second and third, having also occupied the same positions in Saturday’s wet sprint.
“Overall, it’s a good weekend. We did P2, P3 yesterday in the sprint with wet conditions. P2, P3 in qualifying. P2, and we were not far away from doing P3 also today,” Vasseur said.
“I think all over the weekend Max was a bit faster than us, and this we have to try to catch up. But overall it was a strong performance from the team, from the two drivers, and overall a good result for us.”
The Ferrari boss acknowledged that Verstappen had maintained a performance advantage throughout the weekend, but considered the team’s overall competitiveness encouraging after another strong showing in Malaysia.
Hamilton’s difficult afternoon continued after the finish. Ferrari confirmed that he felt unwell and required an assessment by the FIA medical team, with the governing body excusing him from his post-race media duties.
Formula 1 returns for the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas on October 23–25. GRANDE PRÊMIO continues its Formula 1 coverage as Ferrari prepares to challenge Red Bull again in Austin.
