George Russell shares the moment he knew Lewis Hamilton ‘won’t be happy’ during Singapore Grand Prix

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Lewis Hamilton managed to outqualify Mercedes teammate George Russell at the Singapore Grand Prix – a rare feat in 2024. But he lost positions over the course of a frustrating race.

Heading into the weekend, Hamilton knew he’d already lost the intra-Mercedes qualifying battle. He trailed 13-4 with just seven rounds remaining.

Hamilton has struggled with tyres in qualifying all year, but he seemed to overcome those issues at Marina Bay. The seven-time world champion secured a commendable P3, a couple of hundredths ahead of Russell.

He was far from optimistic heading into the session having struggled throughout practice. He finished both of Friday’s sessions outside the top 10 and was only seventh in FP3.

Saturday was a pleasant surprise, but Mercedes took the surprise choice to start Hamilton on the soft tyres for the Grand Prix. He was the only front-runner to do so.

The bold move backfired as he slipped to sixth at the chequered flag. Russell finished fourth in the other car to close the gap between the two drivers in the standings to 19 points.

George Russell predicted Lewis Hamilton’s reaction to Mercedes strategy at Singapore Grand Prix

Mercedes were hopeful that Hamilton could use the superior grip of the softs to overtake second-place Max Verstappen at the start. He wasn’t able to do so, however, and there wasn’t a clear pace advantage in the early laps either.

Predictably, he had to pit far earlier than some of his rivals. He was overcut by Russell as he made his way through traffic, and both Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc got past him with ease on significantly fresher tyres.

He eventually finished a whopping 85 seconds off race-winner Norris, and 24 behind Russell. Speaking at a Petronas fan event on Tuesday, the two Mercedes driver reflected on the ill-judged gamble.

Russell knew before the race that Hamilton wouldn’t approve. It ultimately played into his hands as he gained on his teammate for the third time in four races.

“When I saw that I was thinking… Lewis won’t be happy,” he said.

The Lewis Hamilton radio messages that suggest he’s no longer in Mercedes’ pre-race meetings

Russell’s comments suggest that Mercedes decided Hamilton’s strategy. This in itself may not be out of the ordinary, but crucially, it didn’t seem to be the result of a collaborative process.

Indeed, Hamilton sounded surprised by the call to pit. One journalist suspects he may no longer be involved in ‘pre-race planning’ ahead of his move to Ferrari in 2025.

There has been no public confirmation of where the 39-year-old stands in that regard. But the expectation is that his access will be limited before joining a direct competitor.

Felipe Massa thinks Hamilton is in decline, a worrying sign for Ferrari. But his supporters would argue that he’s operating in a difficult set of circumstances this year.