Mercedes admit to Lewis Hamilton strategy ‘mistake’ after Singapore issues.
Hamilton was the only driver in the top 13 to begin the Singapore Grand Prix on softs but stopped far earlier than he would have hoped, losing any advantage he may have gained from the tactical choice.
30 Sep 2024
Sam Cooper
PlanetF1.com

Mercedes have admitted they made a “mistake” in bringing Lewis Hamilton in earlier after the seven-time World Champion voiced his displeasure at the Singapore strategy call. Hamilton bemoaned the decision, suggesting that it made “no sense”, after he finished sixth and behind team-mate George Russell.

“We sat in our meeting in the morning of the race – actually the night before they already mentioned that they would like to split the cars – and for me, I was a bit perplexed by it,” Hamilton said at an event in Kuala Lumpur for Mercedes sponsor Petronas.

Mercedes technical director James Allison admitted that it was a “mistake” and that a different call would be made could if they turn back time. “Before I give the explanation, I’ll just start off by saying we shouldn’t have started on the softs. That was a mistake. If we could turn back time, we would do what those around us did and select the mediums.”

‘Perplexed’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/merced...ngapore-issues


Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes driver insists 'things are cool' with his team after Singapore GP strategy error
Lewis Hamilton dropped from third on the grid to finish sixth at the Singapore GP after a poor strategy call
1 Oct 2024
Sky Sports

"When that happens it's natural to be frustrated and easy for me to speak out in that frustration. We knew starting on soft tyres was a bold and risky move but one that could give us an advantage at the start and I ultimately agreed with that recommendation.”

He added: "Make no mistake though, things are cool with the team. As with all successful partnerships, you have to have some lows to have the highs. We're not afraid of those tricky conversations and challenging moments which is why we have achieved so much together. We will support each other to the very end. It's all love."

'Things are cool';

https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12...strategy-error


James Allison says Mercedes issue they 'couldn't control' in Singapore affected them all year
30 Sep 2024
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer

James Allison says ‘weakness’ in W15 has impacted Mercedes throughout the year. Mercedes entered the summer break with three wins between Hamilton and Russell, but things began to take a downturn at Zandvoort. Russell blamed the car setup while Hamilton was limited due to a grid penalty, but at the following race in Monza they still struggled to break into the top three.

While Mercedes has produced a car that is fast over one lap, this pace is impacting them during the races according to Allison. “We found a very good setup for a lap, which did us no favours in the race,” said Allison. “A weakness became visible again, which has been impacting us all year round. We couldn’t control the temperatures of the rear tyres.”

‘Couldn’t control the temperatures of the rear tyres’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/mer...them-all-year/


'Dig deep': Rob Smedley shares how Toto Wolff’s media interviews show Mercedes downfall ‘hurts them’
30 Sep 2024
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer

A winless 2023 confirmed that Mercedes was entering a period of decline, all while several senior members associated with their title success also left for new opportunities on the grid. Toto Wolff visibly affected by Mercedes’ downfall according to Rob Smedley. Wolff is one of the few experienced heads still in the team alongside technical director James Allison, and the impact of their current frustrations is clear when he speaks to the media.

“They deserve to win and get those seven years of World Championships on the bounce because they were doing the best job. Then the car simply wasn’t good enough at the start of this new era of regulations and they really had to dig deep,” said Smedley. “You can see that and you can see how much it hurts them. You see it, even if you don’t know these guys, in their media interviews. You see it in Toto’s media interviews.”

“If you know these guys personally, you can see how much it hurts them. You know, they just want to win and they just want to do everything they can to get back. So they’ve really like knuckled down, doubled down on what they needed to do.”

‘Toto Wolff visibly affected by Mercedes’ downfall’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/rob...ll-hurts-them/


Lewis Hamilton drops girlfriend update and admits he was 'terrified' of Toto Wolff chat
Lewis Hamilton opened up about his personal life and family plans in an interview where the topic of Toto Wolff was also discussed.
Sep 29, 2024
Fasika Zelealem
Daily and Sunday Express

Lewis Hamilton has confessed his desire to start a family but insists he still has unfinished business in Formula One in a clear hint he's not ready to start dating yet. The racing superstar is notoriously private about his personal life, with his on-off relationship with former Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger being the only one widely known.

Hamilton is in his final year with Mercedes and is set to join Ferrari in 2025 after announcing the major move earlier this year. Despite being a seven-time champion and one of the greatest drivers in F1 history, Hamilton admitted it was "terrifying" to tell Mercedes boss Toto Wolff about his decision to leave the Silver Arrows, reports the Mirror. "It's been a rollercoaster of emotions from the moment I signed the contract - telling my boss, that was terrifying," remarked Hamilton.

‘Opened up’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...wolff-Mercedes


Peter Windsor questions Lewis Hamilton criticism of Mercedes after strategy mistake
30 Sep 2024
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer

Peter Windsor questions Mercedes’ strategy for Lewis Hamilton. Mercedes was ‘in the woods’ for most of the weekend on tyres, having found they suffered from overheating on all compounds including the hard tyre. Russell said he knew as soon as he saw the tyres for Hamilton that his teammate would disprove of the strategy, which ultimately played into the Briton’s hands later in the race.

“It’s a moot point whether Lewis suggested it to the team or the team suggested it to Lewis and he endorsed it,” said Windsor. “The point is they did it and why? Only to get an advantage off the line in a relatively short run into Turn 1 at Singapore, and he’s trying to overtake one of the hardest guys in F1 in Max Verstappen. If he hasn’t got past him or Lando Norris, then the whole point of him running the soft goes out the window.”

‘Soft tyre strategy out the window’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/pet...ategy-mistake/


'Hamilton would have been an eight-time F1 champion had Whiting not died'
30 Sep 2024
Matt Gretton
GPblog.com

Charlie Whiting, who had been in the role for a long time, died suddenly just prior to the 2019 Australian Grand Prix weekend at the age of 66. Hamilton, the lead car, was on used tyres, with Verstappen on fresh tyres. The Dutchman made the move early in the lap and held on to win the World Championship for the first time. Steiner has expressed his thoughts on that moment.

"Wherever your loyalties lie with that one (and yes, I agree, it was amazing entertainment), from a regulations point of view it was a s**t show of biblical proportions, and regardless of what decision Charlie Whiting might have made in Michael Masi’s position there would have been far less controversy and embarrassment," Steiner said.

Still, the former team boss concludes: "Oh, f**k it. We all know what Charlie would have done. Had he been at the helm Lewis would now be an eight-time world champion."

‘A s**t show of biblical proportions’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30414...abu-dhabi.html


Mick Schumacher makes telling Mercedes comments and puts pressure on Toto Wolff
Sep 30, 2024
Harry Smith
Daily and Sunday Express

Schumacher’s journey back to the F1 grid has been a sorry tale so far. Since being axed by Haas at the end of the 2022 campaign, the German racer has been linked with a host of vacancies… That isn’t to say that Schumacher hasn’t found success. He has made a strong impact as Mercedes’ test driver, and in a conversation with Motorsport-Total he sent a clear message to Toto Wolff as he hunts a new contract with the Silver Arrows.

“You don't really see what's going on there, but it's going well there too," he explained. "So we're all pretty optimistic that I'll keep doing it." Despite his desire to continue with Mercedes, a full-time F1 return is his primary goal. Asked about his ‘Plan B’, Schumacher added: “I think I will deal with it when the time comes and Plan A doesn't work.”

"So, as I said, we stand by the fact that Plan A works and we're trying our best to make it happen. But, as I said, yes, Plan B has to be in the back of our minds. I don't know where that will lead yet."

‘Journey back to the F1 grid, sorry tale so far’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...Wolff-Mercedes