Mercedes F1 boss responds to SCATHING Lewis Hamilton criticism

Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes boss responds to SCATHING Hamilton criticism

The seven-time world champion was furious with the team's strategy decision in Singapore

Kevin McKenna

Friday 27 September 2024 09:58 Updated: 11:17

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Mercedes technical director James Allison has spoken out after coming in for fierce criticism from Lewis Hamilton.

His comments come in the wake of last weekend's Singapore Grand Prix, where Hamilton finished sixth, two places behind team-mate George Russell.

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Lando Norris clinched his third victory of the season at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, finishing ahead of drivers' title rival Max Verstappen and his McLaren partner Oscar Piastri.

Lewis Hamilton was frustrated after finishing sixth at the Singapore GP

The seven-time champion failed to get the better of team-mate George Russell

Allison admits Singapore 'mistake'

Hamilton cut a frustrated figure throughout Sunday's race, having seen his chances of finishing on the podium extinguished despite starting from third.

And speaking at a sponsorship event in Kuala Lumpur the next day, the seven-time champion provided the reason behind his anger.

Sitting alongside Russell, he revealed he disagreed with the team's decision to start him on soft tyres, a move he believed ruined his opportunity of scoring big points.

And now his boss at Mercedes has admitted the team got it wrong, as he offered an insight into their strategy.

James Allison admitted the team got Hamilton's strategy wrong

“We shouldn’t have started on the softs, that was a mistake," said Allison.

"If we could turn back time, we would do what those around us did and select the mediums.

“The reasoning was that the soft often allows you to get away from the start abruptly and allows you a good chance of jumping a place or two in the opening laps of the race.

“We had no real expectation before the race that we were going to suffer the sorts of difficulties that we then experienced on the soft rubber.

"We imagined we would get the upside of the soft rubber of getting a place or two, but we didn’t, because that just isn’t the way the starts played out.”

Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Lando Norris George Russell Oscar Piastri