Lewis Hamilton has joked he will not be visiting a casino any time soon with his Ferrari team after a decision made during the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
Hamilton finished third at the Sepang International Circuit, behind race winner Max Verstappen in his Red Bull and Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli, but only after ignoring an instruction from his Ferrari pit wall in the opening laps.
The seven-time F1 champion had started on soft tyres on a damp surface, a clear mistake as the track was still too wet for the slicks.
After being told on lap five to pit for intermediates, Hamilton refused, stating over the radio, "No, let's take the gamble", staying out until the track reached the crossover point for dry rubber, a call that proved crucial as he then scythed his way through.
Asked about overruling the call, Hamilton summed up his faith in his own judgement with a dry aside.
"Yeah, not going to go to the casino with the guys!" he said with a chuckle.
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Despite the minor strategy error, Hamilton was keen to stress his confidence in the Ferrari operation moving forward, insisting he will "definitely have an open dialogue" with the team to ensure they are on the same page.
"You know, I'm really so proud of my team," he said. "The mechanics every weekend, just the work they're putting in, the engineers that accompany every weekend, the catering, everyone really, really comes and gives it their best. Their hearts are all in the right spot.
"We've definitely got areas that we need to improve and we know that, and we're not in any denial of that.
"So I think we'll have a constructive chat, we'll regroup, we'll take the positives from this weekend, and the car was really good, and we'll come back next week fighting.
"I thought there was a chance for us potentially to try and fight Max for the win, but maybe we can do that next week [in Singapore]."
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Sam Coop and Nick Golding as they look back on the Bahrain GP in Malaysia, but also look ahead to this weekend's race in Singapore. The confusing and shocking start is a major talking point as is Red Bull's rise.
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