Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton was looking hopeful to a better result this weekend at the F1 Singapore GP. The qualifying brought on one of the few times Hamilton out-qualified Leclerc this season. Amidst a couple yellow flags, it was tough for any team to get high-fuel runs in before the race tomorrow.
Hamilton feeling good
Ferrari wasn’t able to get quite to pole ahead of the F1 Singapore GP. In a print media session, Hamilton reports feeling good about the weekend despite not being happy with his position. After the F1 Azerbaijan GP, it seems he was eager to get on the right footing this weekend.
“The car’s been feeling good generally most of the weekend. I’m actually disappointed in that result.”
Trouble every weekend
Hamilton has won the F1 Singapore GP four times in his career and favors street circuits. He looks forward to a good result this weekend despite Ferrari’s struggles every weekend.
“Yeah, since Q1 the car was feeling good. The tyres were feeling good. And then when we get into the second, the next session’s Q2 run 1 was fairly decent.
At the F1 Dutch GP, Hamilton got his first DNF since joining Ferrari. Leclerc joined him soon after, due to a collision with Kimi Antonelli at the same corner. It’s no secret that the Ferrari SF-25 has struggled with controlling its ride height. The team continues to struggle with instability on bumpy or low-grip sections of a track.
The Marina Bay Street Circuit is notorious for being both of those things. Hamilton mentions how the heat of the F1 Singapore GP is getting to Ferrari.
“But we are like the last in the queue often and then waiting in the queue and losing a lot of temperature in the tyres. And every time we do that then we just fall further back. It happens every weekend.”
Dirty side of the track
Despite not being too low on the board, Hamilton still believes he is at a disadvantage. Placing P6 in the F1 Singapore GP qualifier means that he will be starting on the right side of the track. His Ferrari teammate placed P7 but will be getting the advantage of a cleaner side of the circuit. Hamilton hopes that the track gets cleaned before the race, so he can have a clear shot at the podium at the F1 Singapore GP.
“I definitely think the dirty side is dirty. So we would hope they would try and clean the track.
I don’t know whether or not they will tonight. But yeah, the inside’s definitely not great.”
It’s getting hot in here
The Marina Bay Street Circuit is known to hit the highest temperature of any track in the season. The tyres lose a lot of wear and tear due to the heat. A major challenge for teams is in minimizing thermal degradation and keeping enough grip on the track. Hamilton reports struggling to preserve his tyres and balance the heat ahead of the F1 Singapore GP.
When asked about tyre temperatures being a factor, Hamilton responds, “It has, but I don’t know whether or not they see it so much. But we’re losing so much temperature here. And maybe 5, 6 degrees, whatever it is, it’s still a lot of temperature. And it’s really hard to gain that back in the out lap without using the tyres so much, which we ultimately do.
The seven-time World Champion seems to miss being at the top. He mentions the drivers on pole are able to get quickly out on the track, giving them a tyre advantage.
“We’re just starting the lap. I think the guys that are on pole, they went out quicker without less waiting in the pit lane. So I think that’s an area we can improve on for sure.
Cooling down the heat
Given the rising temperatures ahead of the F1 Singapore GP, the FIA mandated having the cooling system in the cars under the intense heat. There are mixed reviews on whether drivers will actually be using the cooling vest due to discomfort from the pressure of the tubing. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton continues to say that it should be optional. He maintains that the safety concern has never caused a problem in his 18 years of F1 racing.
“I don’t think it should ever be forced on drivers. No, and they keep saying it’s a safety issue. There’s no driver that’s ever died from overheating in the race. Apart from, obviously, in Flames back in the day.
He even goes as far as to call it ‘silly,’ though many of his fellow drivers might not agree. During the 2023 Qatar GP, Alex Albon and Lance Stroll were both taken to a medical centre due to heat exhaustion. Estaban Ocon vomited during the race and former Williams driver Logan Sargeant had to retire due to dehydration. His former teammate, George Russell also suffered from mild heat exhaustion last year in Singapore. Hamilton does recognize that the cooling vests can be beneficial, but they should be improved to be more comfortable.
“It’s just getting silly now. That should be our choice to have it. I appreciate they’ve made it available to us, and we’ll continue to work and improve on the system. I think it can be potentially beneficial in crazy hot places, but it should be if you want to use it because it’s comfortable, it should never be like, you have to wear this.”
The Ferrari driver is still up in the air on whether he will be using it tomorrow.
“I have tried it, yeah. I might use it tomorrow, depending on how hot it is.”
The potential of Ferrari
Hamilton’s first year with Ferrari has been quite an adjustment. He has been finding it hard to extract the maximum out of his car all season.
Now, towards the end of the year, most teams have come with upgrades to grab the last couple points left on the grid. Hamilton is frustrated that the Scuderia have not risen to the challenge with no new upgrades ahead of the F1 Singapore GP.
“And I think, naturally, you’ve seen Red Bull have had an upgrade. I think Mercedes have found something. And we haven’t. So we’re just fighting with what we have. Everyone’s trying so hard, but it’s definitely disappointing to finish where we are today when there was potential to potentially be higher.”
Frustrated with the rules
Hamilton has struggled with rule changes since his last World Championship win in 2020. His performance took a dip during the new ground-effect era, with only 2 wins and 1 pole position across the Grand Prix format.
The new track layout affecting the pit lanes has bothered him for some time. He mentioned them to the team ahead of the F1 Singapore GP, but credits the lack of adjustments to the constant rules changes amidst the joining of a new team.
“I mean, I told them in the drive brief that I thought it was better before. But that’s pretty much many of the rules have changed since the new team came on.”
Hamilton begging for opportunity
Hamilton feels that he could have been higher up on the board, but credits that to something happening every weekend. Seemingly chasing his tail, Hamilton is tired of a similar result every weekend with Ferrari.
“It’s generally been solid, yeah. As I said, I wish I was higher up. I really felt that we could have been higher up today. It’s just, it happens every weekend.”
The former World Champion knows what he is capable of, but isn’t able to extract the results from his car. Keeping an eye on the track, he is looking to swoop in if any driver ahead of him makes a mistake ahead of the F1 Singapore GP. He hopes Ferrari can iron out any new issues to give him an opportunity to excel and get back on top.
“I’ll be on my toes, ready to capitalise on any opportunities there”
A short run Quali
With several yellow flags in this qualifying session, not many teams got a chance to put in long runs ahead of the F1 Singapore GP. Hamilton confirms they didn’t do any high-fuel runs.
“No, we didn’t get to do any long runs. Again, yeah we didn’t get to do any high fuel. I think maybe in P1 we did a few laps, but otherwise, no.”
He agrees that most teams will then be going in blind to the race, but reassures the Tifosi that they can expect tomorrow’s race to go well.
“Yeah, I think most people are, but… It should be all right.”
