While the battle for the top 3 raged on in front, Lewis Hamilton had a small moment as he was trying to get past Oscar Piastri in the McLaren. This battle did not end so well for Piastri.
On lap 41, Lewis Hamilton who was on a different strategy than the rest of the field was significantly faster than the McLarens. As he attempted an overtake on Oscar Piastri, he squeezed the Australian leading to a broken front wing on the McLaren. While Lewis Hamilton got away without damage, Piastri had to pit and was forced to accept a 12th-place finish.
Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, received a 5-second penalty but was still able to get past Lando and Albon ahead and create that 5-second gap to them. He finished 6th after a poor qualifying session on Saturday. Toto Wolff was cautiously happy about this result.
Lewis Hamilton approached Oscar Piastri after the race to apologise for the incident. pic.twitter.com/qRJF0mLQn6
— deni (@fiagirly) September 3, 2023
Although he had a positive race, Hamilton went over to Piastri’s car after the race to apologize. When asked about this, he said:
“I apologized because it was obviously my fault,” he said. “And it naturally wasn’t intentional. I got up alongside and just misjudged the gap that I had to the right, clipped him. It could happen anytime. But I knew shortly afterward, it must have been my fault. I wanted to make sure he knew that it was unintentional. And that’s what gentlemen do, right?”
The rookie has been having an impressive season so far. He has been matching the pace of Lando Norris in the same car. He has come close to a podium finish on multiple occasions. He even managed a 2nd place finish during the sprint race in Belgium.
Will Lewis Hamilton beat the McLarens in Singapore?
The Singapore street circuit is a high-downforce track with minimal overtaking opportunities. The McLarens are expected to be strong on this track. Over the last few races, McLaren have proved themselves to be strong on these slower tracks.
While Mercedes have also shown some decent pace on high-downforce tracks, they have shifted their focus on the 2024 season to target Red Bull. So we can assume that they will not be bringing any major upgrades to give them the upper hand this season.
The incident that landed Lewis Hamilton with a five-second penalty 💥
Hamilton later apologised to Piastri for the clash#ItalianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/AGyIGnSkTQ
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 3, 2023
The most important session of the weekend will be the qualifying session. The driver who has track position will have a considerable advantage in the Singapore Grand Prix. So if Lewis Hamilton can manage to finish ahead of the McLarens in qualifying, he will have a good chance to stay ahead of them in the race.
As it stands, it is unclear if McLaren will be bringing in any upgrades for the Singapore Grand Prix. If they do, we can assume it will be one that will further their advantage in low-speed corners.
Let’s wait and see how well Mercedes and McLaren perform at the Singapore Grand Prix.
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