At the Singapore Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton crashes badly when he rammed his Mercedes into the wall in the middle of the race, drawing criticism from Max Verstappen. The British driver was upset as he battled to overtake Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari and finish in third place.
After reversing his car out of the barriers, Hamilton passed Verstappen and resumed the race in fifth place. Red Bull’s driver, though, was not happy to be behind a wrecked Mercedes.
On the team radio, Verstappen voiced his concern that the front wing was about to break off. Before the FIA could step in, his message got through and Mercedes called Hamilton into the pits.
He sat still for 14 seconds while his team frantically sped to replace his wing and get him back in the race after Lewis Hamilton crashes in the barrier. The 37-year-old admitted fault over the team radio and was assured that he was “still in it.”
Drivers consistently rank the Singapore Grand Prix course as the most challenging, and it is reflected in a high number of late-race retirements. It didn’t take long for Zhou Guanyu to get knocked into the walls by Nicholas Latifi, who eventually had to retire himself.
In addition to Fernando Alonso, who had an engine failure, Alex Albon, Esteban Ocon, and Yuki Tsunoda also had to pull over.
Before the race, Hamilton stated of the track, “2019 feels like a lifetime ago for everyone.” Feels good to be back in the city, and the course is awesome to race on. We have 23 sharp turns, so buckle up!
“It’s a moderate, humid sauna — that’s how it feels in the vehicle,” Valtteri Bottas said. When you’re in the cockpit, the ventilation is minimal at best, and you’re wearing a fireproof suit with a less-than-ideal underlayer.
The physical demands of the Singapore Grand Prix were highlighted by Sergio Perez, who called it “one of the biggest difficulties, if not the biggest.”
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