Charles Leclerc’s late pursuit of Max Verstappen at the Singapore Grand Prix was disrupted by Sergio Perez, leaving the Ferrari driver frustrated at a crucial stage of his attempt to close the gap to the race leader. Leclerc ultimately finished second at Marina Bay after Ferrari used the Virtual Safety Car to put him on a fresh set of Soft tyres for the closing stages.
The strategy gave the Monegasque an opportunity to attack, but Verstappen remained out of reach. As Leclerc pushed to reduce the deficit, his progress was interrupted when he encountered Perez in sector two, with the Ferrari losing valuable time before the Cadillac driver moved aside.
Charles Leclerc loses time behind Sergio Perez in Singapore GP chase
Leclerc had been trying to maximise the performance advantage offered by his fresh red-walled Soft tyres after making an additional stop under the Virtual Safety Car. The move formed part of Ferrari’s attempt to keep pressure on the Red Bull ahead and gave the number 16 car a chance to launch a late charge.
However, the pursuit was complicated on lap 57. Perez was informed that the faster Ferrari was approaching before Turn 10, but Leclerc remained behind the Mexican driver until between Turns 13 and 14, shortly after the bridge section.
The delay had a measurable impact on the lap. Leclerc crossed the line in 1:37.573, approximately one second slower than on the previous tour. His speed through Turns 10 and 11 was also around 5 km/h lower than during his earlier laps.
That interruption came while the Ferrari driver was trying to close on Verstappen during the final phase of the race. Leclerc reacted over team radio by sarcastically questioning whether Perez was still driving for Red Bull, making his frustration with the handling of the blue flags clear.
The episode added another complication to a race in which Ferrari had already been trying to find a way past a Red Bull that ultimately proved too difficult to catch. A deeper look at the strategic and pace differences can be found in our Singapore Grand Prix race analysis.
Missed early opportunity also frustrated Charles Leclerc
Traffic was not the only moment Leclerc looked back on with frustration. Earlier in the race, Max Verstappen had experienced problems with power delivery, but Ferrari was not aware of the issue at the time.
Leclerc later acknowledged that the opening stages could therefore have represented an opportunity to place greater pressure on the Red Bull. Without knowing about the problem, however, the Maranello team was unable to exploit the weakness while it was present.
Verstappen eventually remained in control, while Leclerc had to settle for second place despite Ferrari trying an aggressive late strategy. The result nevertheless represented an important podium for the Scuderia, with the wider significance of the performance explored in our look at why Charles Leclerc’s Singapore P2 offers encouragement before Austin.
Sergio Perez blue-flag delay hurts Ferrari’s final push
Once the Virtual Safety Car gave Leclerc the opportunity to switch onto fresh Soft tyres, every second became valuable. Being held behind Perez through part of sector two therefore arrived at a particularly sensitive moment, with the Ferrari driver attempting to reduce Verstappen’s advantage before the remaining laps disappeared.
The one-second loss compared with Leclerc’s preceding lap illustrates why the situation generated such irritation inside the cockpit. Although there is no suggestion that the delay alone determined the outcome of the Grand Prix, it interrupted the rhythm of Ferrari’s final attack when Leclerc needed an unobstructed track.
In the end, the number 16 car could not get close enough to challenge for victory and finished second behind Verstappen. The Singapore result and Ferrari’s late-race pace nevertheless added another significant chapter to Leclerc’s season, with further updates available in the Charles Leclerc Ferrari news section.
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