Mercedes explains absences, and Lewis Hamilton and George Russell postpone their Sky F1 interviews.

Following the Singapore Grand Prix, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton both made the decision to avoid interviews with the media; Mercedes issued a statement outlining their motivations.

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell did not participate in TV interviews with Sky Sports F1 after the Singapore Grand Prix, according to Mercedes, because they were too tired.

Following a hard 62-lap drive around the Marina Bay Street Circuit, Hamilton and Russell missed talking to the announcer after the race, which was won by Lando Norris of McLaren. Russell and Hamilton were fourth and sixth, respectively, behind Norris on the podium, led by Max Verstappen, the leader of the championship.

Oscar Piastri, Norris’s McLaren teammate, finished third; Hamilton would have been first if he hadn’t made a mistake in strategy that caused him to slip from P3 at the start of the race to P6 when the checkered flag was being raised, according to the report.

Sky Sports F1 was left waiting for Hamilton’s opinion on the contentious decision to pit on lap 18 and change from hard to soft tires, a move he said was “killing him” in the battle for third place in what is frequently regarded as the hardest race of the season.

“Unfortunately, neither George nor Lewis will be attending the media pen this evening as they recover from the exertions from this evening’s race,” a Mercedes representative stated following the race.

Nine circuits after switching to the fresh tires, Hamilton called in to inquire if he was the first to pit. He also criticized Mercedes for being too quick to jump the start, given that he hadn’t been able to pass Verstappen straight away.