Lewis Hamilton has warned that he expects Ferrari to have the advantage in forthcoming races after they took a one-two victory at the Singapore Grand Prix. Hamilton finished fourth at Marina Bay, with Sebastian Vettel winning in front of his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc. The British driver suffered from the wrong strategy call by his Mercedes team but nonetheless acknowledged that Ferrari had made great steps forward in pace.

Vettel won from third on the grid, passing Leclerc with an undercut through the pitstops. Hamilton, in second place, wanted to follow the undercut strategy but Mercedes instead left him out to go long. On worn tyres it cost him time and track position and with overtaking almost impossible at Singapore in similarly matched cars, once he had lost his place he was unable to come back.

Sebastian Vettel wins F1 Singapore Grand Prix in Ferrari one-two Read more

Crucially however the pace of the Ferraris was undeniable. Their strength on the high-speed circuits such as Spa and Monza was proved with wins at both meetings. But they have struggled all season through the type of slower corners that abound at Marina Bay. However they brought a comprehensive upgrade package to Singapore and found a remarkable improvement. Already boasting a straightline speed advantage, if they can repeat this performance they will present a formidable challenge.

“Maybe they’ve had a good car all year and it just wasn’t working in the right window,” said Hamilton. “But clearly their car works really well everywhere now so it’s going to be very hard to beat them, particularly as they are so quick on the straights. We can’t compete with them on the straights at the moment.”

Hamilton still enjoys a comfortable lead in the world championship. He is 65 points ahead of his teammate Valtteri Bottas and is 96 points clear of Leclerc, in third. There are six races remaining, worth a potential 156 points.

Hamilton won eight of the first 12 races this season but has not scored a victory since the Hungarian Grand Prix, while Ferrari have won three in a row. The world champion was insistent that he would have to continue to pursue his sixth title without any complacency.

“It’s got tighter and tighter as the season has gone on, we welcome that, but at the same time we’ve just got to be doing a better job,” he said. “We were doing such a great job at the beginning of the year and we have this gap, but the gap can easily go. I’m under no illusions, it’s not won yet.”

He also emphasised that there would be no sudden step forward for Mercedes. Upgrades are planned but not expected immediately. “I don’t know how much is coming over the next races that we have,” he said. “These next few races are going to be tough.”

Ferrari had to placate an angry Leclerc after their strategy cost him the lead but had worked admirably in their intent to secure a one-two. Hamilton had called for the undercut himself during the race but his team opted not to take it. Mercedes have been largely clinical in their execution but the world champion was adamant they had to refocus after Singapore.

“We have won before with not the best car but it’s really how we deliver over the weekend,” he said. “At the moment Ferrari are delivering better in the operations area. Today I did enough in the race in the first stint to come out and lead but the whole processes didn’t work as well as it should do. So we’ve just got to re-huddle, get back together, work hard and move forwards.”

The team principal, Toto Wolff, admitted Mercedes had let Hamilton down and that chief strategist James Vowles took responsibility. “There wasn’t a driver mistake, but a mistake in the strategy,” Wolff said. “James, with his wide shoulders, said: ‘I have fucked it up’. We had a package capable of pole, an opportunity to win, and we made too many mistakes this weekend, with too many opportunities lost. The mood in the team is one of annoyance.”