Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were pulled from Mercedes media duties after suffering ‘borderline heatstroke’ in searing Singapore GP reveals Toto Wolff
- George Russell and Lewis Hamilton suffered ‘borderline heatstroke’ in Singapore
- The Mercedes duo were withdrawn from media duties after the street circuit race
- Scorching temperatures affected groups of drivers during the event
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were withdrawn from their post-race press conferences in Singapore after a turbulent evening at Mercedes.
Team boss Toto Wolff said his two drivers suffered from “borderline heatstroke” in the 30-degree humidity. The pair were examined by a team doctor and exempted from otherwise mandatory FIA interviews.
That meant Hamilton was unable to explain his frustrations during the race, which saw him move from third on the grid to sixth. He was unhappy with his strategy and complained that ‘there is definitely something wrong with the car.’
The seven-time world champion’s mood was hardly improved by Russell, who adopted a different strategy and overtook him to take fourth place. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc also passed him for fifth.
Hamilton, who unusually started with the front-runners on soft tyres, was dismayed when he was brought in early to switch to hard tyres, 17 laps into the 62-lap race. He pitted third and emerged 13th.
George Russell (left) and Lewis Hamilton (right) suffered from the heat after the Singapore GP
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said his two drivers suffered from ‘sunstroke bordering on heatstroke’
Hamilton finished 85 seconds behind winner Lando Norris and Russell was 61 seconds behind
“We’re going to have trouble here,” he warned the team over the radio. “Way too short.”
Later he added: ‘I’m already struggling with this band… You’re killing me with this offset, mate.’
He then ran off the road as he tried to pass RB’s Yuki Tsunoda, causing Wolff to run his hand over his face as he watched.
Hamilton finished 85 seconds behind winner Lando Norris, with Russell 61 seconds behind, shattering Mercedes’ confidence that they had found a solution to the problems of the past three seasons.
“They weren’t feeling well,” Wolff said. “Heatstroke or something, but they did get water.”
“They wouldn’t have gone to the TV pen. There were no bad feelings or annoyances.”
Both Russell (left) and Hamilton (right) struggled in the scorching Singapore heat
Hamilton, 39, laughed last year at the drivers who succumbed to the oppressive conditions in Qatar
Hamilton, 39, laughed at drivers withering away in the stifling conditions in Qatar last year, while 26-year-old Russell is regarded by well-placed coaches as the fittest man on the grid. Ironically, all the other 18 drivers were healthy enough to respond to their media calls.
Mercedes later released quotes from their drivers. Hamilton said: ‘It’s hard to describe the range of emotions you feel in such a difficult race.
“We all go into the weekend with the right intentions and sometimes it doesn’t work out. That can be frustrating, but we’re all in this together.”
Russell said the following about the next race in Austin on October 20: ‘We still have a lot of work to do to understand why we find it so difficult to fight at the front.’