Lewis Hamilton owns up to mistake as Singapore GP sprint qualifying run plan backfires

Lewis Hamilton had his sights set on a good starting position for the sprint race at the Singapore Grand Prix after a strong showing in SQ2.

However, come SQ3 at the Marina Bay Circuit, Hamilton himself decided to go for a different run plan compared to the other drivers.

It turned out that the run plan that the British driver selected was not the correct one to go for, and he admitted his mistake after the session.

As well as his run plan error, Hamilton also ran into issues with his Ferrari, as he experienced oversteering issues on his final lap of the session.

“Well, it was looking good in Q1 and Q2, and then I don't really know where it went,” Hamilton said after sprint qualifying. 

“We did a slightly different run plan from the others; it was my choice, and I think we got that wrong. But ultimately, the car was very oversteery on that last lap. 

“I don't know if the rear was not ready or the rear was overheating; it's difficult to say, but it was very, very snappy, oversteery, and it just wasn't a good lap overall.”

When asked further about the overseer issues that he experienced, Hamilton revealed that the issues arose when he switched from the medium compound to the softs.

“On the mediums, it was good. Just much different on the soft. Lots of grip, but only on the front and none at the rear. 

“Obviously, I had the pace in the first two sessions, and then all of a sudden, I didn't have the grip on the rear for some reason on that last lap, so it’s what it is.”

Hamilton will start the sprint race at the Singapore Grand Prix from the third row of the grid in sixth place. Whereas his teammate, Charles Leclerc, will start from the row ahead of him in third place.

On Saturday, the 41-year-old will be able to try to improve his starting position for the Singapore Grand Prix in the qualifying session, which will take place after the sprint race.