“Not a Mercedes person in sight!” - F1 fans react as Lewis Hamilton celebrates his 196th podium alone in Singapore

F1 fans were left a bit puzzled as they could not see a Mercedes person when Lewis Hamilton came into the parc ferme to celebrate his 196th podium in the sport at the Singapore GP.

The seven-time world champion had an eventful race in Singapore on Sunday, starting from P5 and finding himself in a tight contest. Hamilton was clearly playing second fiddle to his teammate George Russell during the race. He capitalized when the young Briton crashed into the wall on the final lap of the race, to step on the final podium spot.

However, it was bizarre to see that no Mercedes team member was present to greet the seven-time world champion. Hamilton was left celebrating with the McLaren and Ferrari crew instead.

F1 fans took to social media to give their reactions to the odd situation. One of the fans said they could not see a single Mercedes member when Lewis Hamilton posted a picture of himself sitting alone in the parc ferme.

"Not a Mercedes person in sight! They don’t deserve you," they wrote.

Here are some more reactions:

Lewis Hamilton analyzes his podium finish in Singapore

The Mercedes driver stated that he was pleased with the result as he and the team rolled the dice with the strategy, which turned out well for them.

As per F1.com, Lewis Hamilton said:

"We rolled the dice this weekend and went with an offset tire strategy. I felt like the race was a two-stop today and the team did an amazing job to get us back up there. Having to give back the two positions from the first corner was a shame, but I kept my head down and kept pushing."

"Overall this weekend, I haven’t felt fully comfortable with the car. Today it was in a better place though. If I had had that same feeling yesterday, I think I could have been fighting for the front row. That may have changed my race today, but I’m still pleased to get on the podium."

He also extended his sympathies to his teammate George Russell, adding:

"It was extremely unfortunate what happened to George. We were pushing so hard to catch the guys ahead and our tyres were so hot. He’s been phenomenal all weekend and I know he will bounce back."

Given their recent change in fortunes, it will be fascinating to see how Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton perform in Suzuka this weekend.