George Russell has been blamed for costing Lewis Hamilton the Singapore Grand Prix victory despite Hamilton being the faster of the two drivers in the closing laps of the race on Sunday.
A Hamilton supporter made the allegations, claiming it was the second time Russell had jeopardized the seven-time world champion’s prospects of winning.
Hamilton started from fifth because he was significantly slower than his Mercedes teammate in qualifying and was several tenths off the pace in Q3. Russell, on the other hand, came in second after just missing out on pole position which was claimed by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.
However, Hamilton was able to pass Russell at the very first corner before having to relinquish his position as a result of running off the track.
The F1 stewards clearly disagreed with Hamilton’s claim that his teammate had shoved him off the track, notwithstanding his persistent argument. In order to avoid a time penalty, Hamilton let Russell and Lando Norris pass him, which effectively ended his chances of winning.
Despite his faster pace in clean air, Hamilton was never able to overtake the drivers but instead always stayed in close proximity to them.
Russell was right behind Norris and Carlos Sainz, but it was Hamilton’s impressive pace in clear air that allowed him to close in on his teammate towards the end of the race. Russell was given the hurry up by Hamilton over the radio, but this had no bearing on the 25-year-old’s contact with the barriers on the final lap.
Hamilton, who was in fourth place, watched as Russell, who was contending for second place, ran all over the back of Norris on the final lap. Sadly, as the Mercedes driver entered Turn 10 he struck a wall, sending him straight into a barrier and out of the race.
Hamilton was able to take over P3 and yet secure another podium for his career as a result. Despite Hamilton’s triumph, one of his supporters insisted that Russell cost him the race. He also claimed that Russell cost him the Dutch Grand Prix in 2022.
“With Zandvoort last year as well I count that the second time where Hamilton’s teammate has cost him a chance to win the race,” wrote @F1_Jordan on Twitter.
