- George Russell and Lewis Hamilton suffered from “heat stroke” in Singapore
- The Mercedes duo were removed from their media duties after the race on the street circuit.
- Scorching temperatures affected the driving groups throughout the event
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have been pulled from their post-race press sessions in Singapore after a contentious night at Mercedes.
Team principal Toto Wolff said his two drivers suffered “heat stroke” in humid 30C heat. Both were examined by a team doctor and excused from mandatory FIA interviews.
Hamilton was unable to explain his frustration during the race, in which he dropped from third on the grid to sixth. He was unhappy with his strategy and complained that “there’s definitely something wrong with the car.”
The seven-time world champion’s spirits were not helped by Russell, who followed a different strategy and overtook him to take fourth place. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc also overtook him to take fifth.
Hamilton, who was unusually among the front-runners and started on soft tyres, was dismayed when he was forced to pit early for hard tyres 17 laps into the 62-lap race. He pitted in third place and emerged 13th.
George Russell (left) and Lewis Hamilton (right) suffered in the heat after the Singapore GP
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said his two drivers suffered “heat stroke”
Hamilton finished 85 seconds behind winner Lando Norris and Russell was 61 seconds behind.
“We’re going to have problems,” he warned the team over the radio. “It’s too short.”
Moments later he added: ‘I’m already suffering with this tyre… You’re killing me with this displacement, mate.’
He then went off the road attempting to pass RB’s Yuki Tsunoda, causing Wolff to wipe his face as he watched.
Hamilton finished 85 seconds behind winner Lando Norris and Russell was 61 seconds behind, dispelling Mercedes’ belief that they had found a solution to their problems of the past three seasons.
“They weren’t feeling well,” Wolff said. “They were on the verge of heat stroke or something, but they had been drinking water.”
“They wouldn’t have been able to go to the television corral. There was no resentment or annoyance.”
Both Russell (left) and Hamilton (right) struggled in the scorching heat of Singapore.
Hamilton, 39, previously mocked drivers who wilted in the sweltering conditions in Qatar last year.
Hamilton, 39, mocked drivers who collapsed in the sweltering conditions at Qatar last year, while Russell, 26, is regarded by well-placed coaches as the fittest man on the grid. Yet, ironically, all 18 other drivers were fit enough to keep their media calls.
Mercedes later released statements from its drivers. Hamilton said: “It’s difficult to describe the range of emotions you feel in a race as difficult as that.”
“We all go into the weekend with the right intentions and sometimes things don’t go the way we expect. It can be frustrating, but we’re all in this together.”
Looking ahead to the next race in Austin on October 20, Russell said: “We have a lot of work to do to understand why we have been struggling to challenge at the front.”
