SINGAPORE (AP) — Lewis Hamilton missed his post-race media duties after feeling unwell following the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday, having earlier apologized to Ferrari for a strategy call that cost him a Formula 1 podium finish.
Ferrari said in a statement that Hamilton had been seen by the FIA medical team at the track and given permission not to attend the driver interviews held after races.
Shortly after the race finished in typically hot and humid Singapore conditions, the British driver took a knee as he waited behind other drivers for his weigh-in.
Hamilton's post-race radio message suggested it had been his choice to stay on older tires rather than risk losing position with a second pit stop.
“Sorry boys, I let you down today with that strategy. My call and I lost us valuable points," Hamilton said.
“I’ll try and make up for it in the next one. Great job with the pit stop, though.”
Hamilton could have stopped for fresh tires, as teammate Charles Leclerc did, during a virtual safety car slowdown after Aston Martin's Lance Stroll stopped on track with a clutch problem.
The seven-time champion had been as high as second but was left scrabbling for grip on the streets of Singapore as he first let by Leclerc, then was hunted down by Kimi Antonelli, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, dropping to sixth. Leclerc's second-place finish was his best result since July.
Ferrari didn't immediately provide an update on Hamilton's condition, but released a statement from the British driver giving more detail on his strategy call.
“Today wasn’t the result we were looking for and it was on me," Hamilton said in the statement, explaining he'd tried a one-stop strategy starting on the slower medium tire, but it didn't work out.
Hamilton added that he then “missed the entry” to the pits for a potential second stop under the virtual safety car, leaving him on badly worn soft tires.
“A painful lesson today, but I take full responsibility for the decisions I made,” he added. “Not every call will work out, and I can accept getting it wrong but I’m sorry for the team for the points we lost today. They put so much into every weekend, and I wanted to deliver more for them. I’ll continue to put the work in and come back fighting at the next race”.
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur also bemoaned the botched strategy.
“We called him, we called them both to pit. It 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 also,” Vasseur told Sky Sports. “It was crystal clear on the radio. But now let’s be focused on (the next race in) Austin.”
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The Associated Press