Lewis Hamilton finished ninth in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix as Ferrari endured a disappointing weekend in Brazil; Hamilton lost out late in the race after ignoring a call to come into the pits to switch from slick to intermediate tyres as rain intensified Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Lewis Hamilton says a lack of information led to him overriding Ferrari’s call for him to come into the pits as rain fell during the closing stages of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Hamilton was running in eighth at Interlagos when heavy rain began to fall with 10 laps to go. While the leaders had already passed the pit entry by the time the rain intensified, Mercedes brought in George Russell from fifth. Ferrari instructed Hamilton to come in, but he decided to do the opposite to the car just in front of him at the time, Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson.
Hamilton’s team-mate Charles Leclerc, running just behind him, came into the pits. The seven-time world champion spun on the next lap in the treacherous conditions, before pitting at the end of it to follow his rivals onto intermediates. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player While there was little at stake, as Hamilton ultimately finished ninth rather than claiming what could have been seventh if he had got past Lawson, it was the latest example of imperfect execution from the British driver and his Italia team. Speaking to Sky Italy after the race, Hamilton said: “The last bit of information I got was that the rain was going to stay the same, and in those conditions my grip was feeling pretty good.
“And I was like, ‘ah, I’m catching.’ And I was coming out the last corner, just before the pit lane they asked me to box, and I was right behind Lawson. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player “He went in, and I ended up staying (out). They didn’t say it’s raining more in the first half of the lap. If I’d have known that I would have come in.
“As soon as I got to Turn 1, I realised it was wet. So, it just lacked a little bit of information there. “And ultimately, that’s on me. Sorry for the team, for that.
I gave it everything. We just didn’t have the pace today unfortunately.” Hamilton had come into the weekend off the back of a major controversy with his team-mate in Mexico last weekend, as he was angered by a first-lap clash between the pair that he felt cost him victory and the team a one-two. While Hamilton revealed on Saturday that the pair had “squashed” their issues, the precious nature of their winning opportunity in Mexico City was highlighted by their struggles in Brazil. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Both Hamilton and Leclerc were compromised by grid penalties that saw them start from 20th and 14th, respectively, but neither appeared to have the pace to match McLaren’s race winner Lando Norris or Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in second.
Hamilton told Sky Sports F1: “Really tough day and weekend for the whole team. They have done a really great job. “All the mechanics did such a great job switching out the engine and making sure the car was as good as it could be.” Hamilton had a great start as he climbed to ninth on the first lap, and successfully pulled off being the first driver to switch from intermediates to slicks as the track dried early in the race, but didn’t have the pace to take advantage of either moment. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player He added: “We struggled in the dry but I had a great start.
Unfortunately, the rear tyres just ballooned and overheated and I struggled. “After that, I was pushing to go onto the slicks, which I eventually got on, I think I was one of the earlier ones [to switch to that tyre]. “I was feeling pretty good. It was very tricky in those conditions.
We ended up having an extra stop, which ultimately, I had a lot of ground to cover there.” F1 next hits The Strip for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, live on Sky Sports F1 from November 20-22.
