![\"Oscar](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Oscar-Piastri-battles-with-Lewis-Hamilton-in-the-2026-Singapore-GP-scaled.jpg.webp\"\/)
<\/p>\nThat potentially put Leclerc on a two-stop (or at least a less certain one-stop), which was not the original plan. Hamilton seemed set for a certain\u00a0two-stop because of how early he\u2019d been forced to make his first stop. So with both cars now potentially on a two-stop, telling Leclerc to move aside was a non-starter.<\/p>\n
Had it not been for the Antonelli potential undercut complication, Ferrari was planning on keeping Leclerc out there chasing Verstappen for a few laps longer and staying with a one-stop. That way, Hamilton would have continued lapping fast on his softs in clear air, Leclerc would have exited behind him but with Hamilton needing to stop again. It would have been a straightforward one-stop vs two-stop strategy contest between the Ferraris.<\/p>\n
Instead, Antonelli had compromised Leclerc\u2019s race which in turn had compromised Hamilton\u2019s. But if they\u2019d moved Leclerc out of Hamilton\u2019s way, Leclerc would\u2019ve been delayed when Hamilton\u2019s older softs became slower than Leclerc\u2019s mediums. And if both were on a two-stop, the guy with strategic priority privilege as the car ahead (Leclerc) would have just lost position to his team-mate under team instructions. It may have sounded like Ferrari being indecisive, but the reality was Ferrari was between a rock and a hard place, compromised by the confluence of the tyre compound offsets and Antonelli\u2019s stop. It was no-one\u2019s fault.<\/p>\n
Hamilton\u2019s gamble at a correction<\/p>\n
There were to be further ramifications on Hamilton\u2019s race of this awkward situation, triggered by a lap 38 virtual safety car (VSC). Verstappen \u2013 who\u2019d been around 6sec ahead of Leclerc \u2013 stayed out on his mediums. So Ferrari did the opposite with Leclerc, taking advantage of the reduced time loss of a stop under the VSC to two-stop \u2013 and into the bargain swap the mediums for the much better soft. With that, he hoped to chase down Verstappen from around 15sec behind with 23 laps remaining. It was the perfectly logical plan, even if it turned out he didn\u2019t have enough pace advantage over Verstappen to make it work. The tyre was faster, but not by enough \u2013 as Verstappen judged things perfectly to win by 7sec.<\/p>\n
That VSC also offered Hamilton a cheap two-stop and a perfect opportunity to get off those ancient softs. He was called in but stayed out. He later said he missed the pit entry as he received the message. He did, but by a tiny margin that he could easily have corrected with a late swerve. He stayed out because he chose to.<\/p>\n
He had not missed it by the timing of the VSC \u2013 Leclerc ahead of him had just pitted, after all \u2013 but by when he was told to pit. That was a simple post-rationalisation. Of course he would know that the VSC offered a time-cheap opportunity to get off the old tyres. But he wanted to try to beat Leclerc by banking the second position Leclerc\u2019s stop had given him and going to the end on the ancient softs. Even before the VSC he\u2019d been in deep discussion with his race engineer Carlo Santi about whether he could stay out \u2013 and the poor communication between them in that conversation contributed to Hamilton\u2019s decision. As probably did his frustration for how he\u2019d been delayed by Leclerc earlier.<\/p>\n
In trying to make the calculation about whether it would be feasible to maintain position, he\u2019d asked Santi what lap times the others had been doing at the end of their stints. But had not been given a clear answer. His instinct was to stay out and without the relevant info he went with that instinct. Even after the VSC ended and Leclerc, on his new tyres, was 2sec a lap faster, Santi was still urging Hamilton to come in \u2013 as Santi could see that not only was Leclerc coming past easily but there was a further threat from the new-tyred McLarens and Antonelli (though Piastri was delayed by an extra stop for a puncture). But still Hamilton resisted. With 18 laps to go, Hamilton was running 2sec off the pace = 36sec. The pitstop loss for new tyres was 22sec. Therefore, to stop was a no-brainer, even after the VSC. But Hamilton \u2013 again without the clarity those numbers would have provided \u2013 overruled Santi until the defeated engineer replied: \u201cOk, we can try,\u201d surely knowing they were doomed.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Piastri attacks Hamilton at the start of their penultimate lap. He\u2019d get past despite making an extra pitstop due to a puncture<\/p>\n
\n Alastair Staley\/LAT\n <\/p>\n
They were. Norris arrived on his tail first and they both braked late for Turn 1. Hamilton took to the run-off but rejoined still ahead. Norris ran wide, stayed on track, but was pounced upon by Antonelli who then put an easy pass on Hamilton the following lap for third in the updated Mercedes W17 (with Russell still in the old one, starting from the back). Norris went by the Ferrari a lap later and Piastri relieved Hamilton of fifth on their penultimate lap.<\/p>\n
This was Hamilton\u2019s Sepang \u2018let\u2019s gamble now that the damage is done\u2019 strategy, but with the coin flipping the other way. It was absolutely the wrong choice. He acknowledged as much afterwards. \u201cSorry boys. I let you down today with that strategy. My call. I lost us valuable points.\u201d He clearly took it hard and wasn\u2019t available for his scheduled TV pen appearances later and put out a short statement instead.<\/p>\n
Liam Lawson, as usual, was faultless in winning a distant best of the rest, seventh in his Racing Bulls, staying just ahead of Nico H\u00fclkenberg\u2019s Audi throughout, with Russell\u2019s Mercedes and Isack Hadjar\u2019s Red Bull coming through from the back for ninth and 10th respectively.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe car has taken a big step forwards,\u201d said Verstappen of the RB22. \u201cParticularly from Baku. It\u2019s just a lot more driveable and predictable now\u2026 There were times early in the season where it was actually a bit scary. Now, I don\u2019t have to worry about the championship and I can just enjoy myself in it.\u201d Sounds ominous.<\/p>\n
Any questions for Mark? Post them below and he will answer them in the podcast next week:<\/p>\n
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