Hamilton takes full blame after Singapore Sprint qualifying setback

Lewis Hamilton has accepted responsibility for a run-plan decision he believes may have cost him in Singapore Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying, after finishing sixth behind Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc, who took third.

Hamilton says his SQ3 strategy may have hurt his result

Hamilton’s run plan differed from that of most of the field. He suggested the timing of his attempt was one factor in a disappointing finish, though it was not the only problem he encountered on his final lap.

The Briton had felt comfortable on the medium tyres in the first two parts of qualifying. The switch to softs for SQ3 brought a markedly different balance: Hamilton described the car as oversteering and lacking rear grip, leaving the back of the car difficult to control.

He was unsure whether the rear tyres had not reached the right temperature or had become too hot. Either way, the car felt particularly unstable, and he said the lap was poor overall. Although the soft tyres offered strong front-end grip, he found little support from the rear.

Soft-tyre balance left Hamilton without rear grip

Hamilton said the contrast with his earlier pace was striking. The car had performed well on mediums, but he could not find the same grip at the rear once he changed compounds for the decisive run. He acknowledged that balance could have played a part, while stopping short of identifying a definite cause.

The result left him three places behind Leclerc, who had a stronger session for Ferrari. Hamilton’s comments point to both a strategic choice and a tyre-balance problem, rather than a single clear explanation for the loss of pace.

There was other scrutiny around the Singapore session: read our reports on the qualifying glitch and Verstappen’s Sprint pole under investigation.