'Unwell' Lewis Hamilton taken to Singapore Grand Prix medical centre after gruelling night race in front of girlfriend Kim Kardashian

Lewis Hamilton had to receive medical treatment after a torrid Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday. 

The Ferrari driver was pictured crouched over in parc ferme with his head bowed moments after getting out of his car at the Marina Bay Circuit – where he fell from P3 to P6 following a disastrous race strategy.

It was then confirmed that the 41-year-old was taken to the medical centre, with the seven-time world champion excused to skip his obligatory post-race media duties.

Sky Sports' F1 presenter Simon Lazenby confirmed the situation trackside, saying: 'We were hoping to hear from Lewis Hamilton before we go, however, he got out of the car and he was feeling unwell so he has gone to the medical centre.

'He has been given dispensation not to go to the pen and face the world's media.'

Hamilton was watched on by girlfriend Kim Kardashian in Singapore, with the reality TV star, 45, telling Sky Sports' Martin Brundle she was 'praying' for a good result before the race.  

Kardashian, who was criticised for snubbing Brundle during a 'rude' interaction at the Monaco Grand Prix, made amends with the legendary motorsport broadcaster.

'Did I not know the rules? Did we get off on the wrong foot?' she said as she jokingly placed her hand on his arm.

Of Formula One, she said: 'I think it's amazing and fun and wild and something I've never seen before. It's amazing.

'I'm just praying for the best tonight. Yes, [he is] very confident and so am I, just got to pray for the best.'

Hamilton's health compounded a difficult few hours for him as his bold decision to go against team orders backfired during the race.

Ferrari looked set to finish second and third on the podium with Hamilton's team-mate Charles Leclerc in the former position. However, Hamilton slipped from third to sixth in the closing stages of the race as his tyres faded away.

The iconic Italian outfit had requested Hamilton to pit to prevent that scenario but he disagreed and later apologised to his team over the radio after crossing the chequered flag.

'Sorry, boys. I let you down today with that strategy,' he said. 'My call, and I lost us valuable points. I'll try and make up for it in the next one.'

Team principal Frederic Vasseur said: 'Clearly we asked them to pit. Charles pitted. Lewis didn't want to pit because he... I don't know why. And then he realised it was the wrong call. It's why he apologised to the team.

'Now it's not a drama for me that he made the wrong call. I'm making mistakes, he's making mistakes, we're all making mistakes sometimes. Now we have to look ahead and make mistakes positively.'

After receiving medical treatment, Hamilton then released a statement explaining his reasons why he ignored the pleas to pit.

'Today wasn't the result we were looking for and it was on me,' said Hamilton. 'At a track that's difficult to overtake, you need to try something different and I chose to start on a new medium tyre, to go long and try to make a one-stop work. Unfortunately the medium didn't perform as well as the soft.

'I had a good second stint and the pace was back, but I couldn't make the progress I needed. Under the VSC, the team called me in but I missed the entry.

'After that, I decided to stay out and try to hold track position to the end but in the closing laps, I was struggling massively with tyre degradation and lost three places, finishing P6, which doesn't reflect the pace we had in the car today.

'A painful lesson today, but I take full responsibility for the decisions I made. Not every call will work out, and I can accept getting it wrong but I'm sorry for the team for the points we lost today. They put so much into every weekend, and I wanted to deliver more for them.

'I'll continue to put the work in and come back fighting at the next race.'

• READ: Jonathan McEvoy's race report from the Singapore Grand Prix