Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes looks on prior to the F1 Grand Prix of Singapore- Source: Getty
Mercedes F1 technical director James Allison accepted that starting Lewis Hamilton on the soft tire at the beginning of the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix last Sunday was a mistake by the team. It was a curious sight to see the seven-time world champion start on the softer C5 rubber, while his competitors started on the optimal medium tyres under the lights at the Marina Bay circuit.
By starting on the soft tire, both Lewis Hamilton and the team would have been hoping for a better start than their rivals and gain some positions off the line. It did not transpire the way that way and they had to make an early stop to change to the hard tires, which put him out of contention for the podium positions despite starting the race in P3.
Speaking on Mercedes' official YouTube channel after the race, Allison answered questions from fans, put to him by the host. One fan asked what the reasoning for starting Lewis Hamilton on the soft tires was. To this, Allison said,
