Martin Brundle reacts to “bizarre” Lewis Hamilton Singapore GP strategy choice
Lewis Hamilton’s sixth place finish at the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix was disappointing for the Ferrari team. After the driver chose not to pit when he was called in, he struggled with tyres towards the end of the race and lost a potential podium finish alongside his team-mate Charles Leclerc. Martin Brundle has now given his verdict on what he called a “bizarre” strategy.
Writing for Sky Sports F1 following the race at Marina Bay, the former driver-turned-pundit discussed Hamilton’s choice of not pitting under the virtual safety car – the moment his race seemed to take a negative turn.
What Brundle saw from the commentary box
Hamilton came in on lap 18 for softs, which looked like the opening move of a two-stop race. Then Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin stopped on track, the VSC came out, and Ferrari called both its cars to the pits. Hamilton chose not to take the opportunity, which left him with a 44-lap run to the flag on a single set of softs. Brundle’s verdict:
“Hamilton started on a fresh set of medium tyres but began to struggle as the race progressed,” he wrote. “Appearing to be on a clear two-stop strategy, he pitted as early as Lap 18 for soft tyres. Bizarrely, he would not stop again, despite the opportunity to make a relatively cheap pitstop under a Virtual Safety Car [VSC] when Lance Stroll’s stricken Aston Martin had to be cleared from the circuit.
“Hamilton then endured a relentless slide down the order, eventually losing fifth place to Oscar Piastri’s McLaren in the closing stages, despite the Australian having made an unscheduled stop for a slow puncture.
“After the race, it emerged that switching to a one-stop strategy, which required him to complete 44 laps on the same tyres, had been Hamilton’s own decision.
“He apologised to the team for the call.
“It is difficult to run a modern F1 car and manage the team’s strategy from behind the wheel, and the incident was telling. Ferrari had seemingly expected Hamilton to pit under the VSC.”
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has said much the same thing from the pitwall. He told reporters, “We lost the podium with this,” and claimed Hamilton would likely have finished second or third had he stopped. On the disobeyed instruction, Vasseur said: “When we asked them to pit, Lewis wanted to stay on track.”
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton Ferrari
Photo by: Clive Mason / Getty Images
Hamilton takes the blame
To his credit, Hamilton didn’t hide from the fact it was his decision that ruined his race. He apologised over the radio after the flag: “Sorry, boys. I let you down today with that strategy.” He was excused from the media pen after feeling unwell and being checked by the FIA medical team. On Monday he posted a statement on social media:
“Yesterday wasn’t the result we were looking for, and that’s on me. At a track that’s difficult to overtake, you need to try something different and I chose a strategy that ultimately didn’t deliver. It’s a painful lesson to learn, but I take full responsibility for the decisions I made.
“Racing involves decisions that don’t always yield the desired outcome. The key is recognising mistakes when they happen and using them as a foundation for improvement. I’m grateful to the team for the work they put in every weekend. P6 doesn’t reflect the pace we had in the car over the weekend, and despite the result there are positives to take away.
“Massive thanks to the fans in Singapore for the energy. I’ll continue to put the work in and come back fighting at the next race.”
The instinct behind Hamilton’s gamble is understandable. Singapore is a nightmare to pass on, with it being a track where a driver stuck in traffic will try almost anything to break out of it. But a free stop under a VSC would be difficult for any driver to pass up, hence why Brundle was so confused about it.
Hamilton has seven world titles and the instincts to match, but modern F1 hands the pitwall the data a driver in the cockpit simply doesn’t have. A team that has built its call around a VSC stop needs its driver to trust it, and Ferrari needs a lot more of that trust from its most famous driver than it got in Singapore.
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