Button on Hamilton's Singapore Blunder: Lewis Thought He Was Doing the Right Thing

Pulse Sports Team 08:43 - 13 October 2026

Former Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button has dismissed suggestions that Lewis Hamilton has lost faith in Ferrari following his decision not to pit during the Singapore Grand Prix.

The British driver has expressed frustration with Ferrari's strategy calls on several occasions this season, including the lack of team orders to swap positions with teammate Charles Leclerc at the Dutch Grand Prix.

Following the race in Singapore, Sky Sports F1 pundit Naomi Schiff suggested that Hamilton no longer trusts the team's decision-making. "I'm not surprised; I think both sides have lost some mutual trust when it comes to making the right calls in key moments," Schiff commented. "Was Lewis at fault today? Yes, he probably made the wrong choice. But was the team at fault last week? Yes, they made a mistake then. So I understand why Lewis questions their instructions—he doesn't always believe they will make the right call."

Button, however, rejected that view, pointing out that his compatriot simply did not want to spend the rest of the race stuck behind Leclerc.

"I think he just wanted to take control of his own race and felt he was doing the right thing. He didn't want to spend the remainder of the Grand Prix sitting behind his teammate. He wanted to take a gamble, knowing he had the pace on the soft tyres," Button said.

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur defended the Scuderia's strategy in Singapore, stating that Lewis Hamilton had been instructed to pit under the Virtual Safety Car, but the driver chose to stay out on track.

The seven-time world champion took responsibility for the mishap both over the team radio and in an official written statement. Hamilton was feeling unwell and skipped his post-race media duties, leaving Vasseur to answer reporters' questions and firmly reject claims of a pit-wall blunder, reiterating that both drivers were called in simultaneously.

"We called both cars in, saying: 'Guys, box under the Virtual Safety Car.' But one of them said he preferred to stay out and added that he missed the pit entry. Don't blame the team," the Ferrari boss explained.