Mercedes duo George Russell and Lewis Hamilton had a “frustrating” Singapore Grand Prix after failing to improve on their strong qualifying performance.
Hamilton started one position ahead of his teammate in third, but the Silver Arrows’ split tactic backfired during the demanding 62-lap race.
The seven-time world champion took a gamble by starting on soft tyres, but he couldn’t keep up with Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.
Russell, on the other hand, chose to start on the preferred medium tyre, although Hamilton’s decision may have slowed his Mercedes teammate’s initial stint.
The pair finished fourth and sixth, respectively, with Hamilton passing Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari late on to reach 174 points in the drivers’ title.
“After a very difficult Friday, we would have likely taken P4 in the Grand Prix,” Russell told reporters.
“Our qualifying pace, however, gave us hope that we could do better.
“Today was undoubtedly a difficult race for us, both in terms of pace and physically.
“The McLarens were quite remarkable and in a different league than us, and Max [Verstappen] had the legs on us.
We were able to fend off Charles [Leclerc]’s Ferrari in the latter stages, so it was essentially an evening of damage limitation.
“Given the pace of the car, that was the very best we could have achieved.”
Hamilton expressed his disappointment with the race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, but is hopeful the Silver Arrows will rebound in Austin next month.
“It is hard to describe the range of emotions you feel when we have a difficult race like that,” Hamilton informed reporters.
“This year has continued to be challenging for everyone, but we are all working as hard as we can.
“We don’t always do things right, as was the case today with our strategy.
“We have lost some form to the leaders in the past few races and we’re working hard to figure out why that is.”
Mercedes had won three of the previous four races before the summer break, but had only secured one podium since, when Russell benefited from Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez’s crash on the penultimate lap of the race.
But up next is a track Hamilton has enjoyed over the years, with the Briton winning the American Grand Prix in Austin more than anybody else (five times), but he has not won on the Texas circuit since 2017.
