Charles Leclerc kept Ferrari firmly in contention at the Singapore Grand Prix by taking second place after a race in which the Monegasque fought hard from the opening metres. His biggest opportunity came immediately at the start, when an excellent launch put him in position to challenge Max Verstappen for the lead.
Charles Leclerc initially appeared capable of taking first place thanks to the strong getaway of the number 16 SF-26. However, Max Verstappen resisted the Ferrari driver’s attack into Turn 1, squeezing him towards the inside kerb before braking late enough to retain the lead. The opening battle followed a weekend in which Ferrari had shown renewed competitiveness at Marina Bay, with the SF-26 making a significant step forward after changes to its rear-end configuration.
Charles Leclerc explains why he avoided contact with Max Verstappen
At that point, Charles Leclerc effectively had two options. He could try to brake even later, knowing that contact was highly likely given the way the two cars were positioned, or lift off, slot in behind the Red Bull and attempt to stay with Max Verstappen through the opening stint.
Charles Leclerc chose the second option. Ferrari is also locked in a battle with McLaren for second place in the Constructors’ Championship, making every result important as the Maranello team attempts to establish itself as Mercedes’ closest challenger. The wider comparison between the teams can be followed through the Ferrari vs F1 Rivals statistics.
“Was it wise not to take the risk? Ah yes, otherwise we’d have ended up in the wall…” Charles Leclerc said with a half-smile after the race at Marina Bay. “I think it was better to do that [lift off and slot in behind Verstappen]. It was on the limit, but Max played it well. He knew that by leaving me so little space, there wasn’t much I could do.”
The opening-lap fight had already shown how close Ferrari came to challenging for the lead, with Charles Leclerc attacking Max Verstappen at the Singapore GP start before settling into second place.
Leclerc regrets missing Verstappen’s deployment problem
Once behind the RB22, Charles Leclerc remained close to Max Verstappen for several laps. At the time, however, the Ferrari driver was unaware that the Red Bull was experiencing a power-unit deployment problem.
“It’s a shame, because for the first six or seven laps he had deployment problems and I didn’t know. Maybe I could have used more of my battery. But there are always ifs and buts… With hindsight, you can always do better.”
Singapore had been regarded as one of the circuits where Ferrari could potentially claim its third victory of the season, but the strength of Red Bull and Max Verstappen ultimately left the Italian team without an opportunity to take the win.
Charles Leclerc urges Ferrari to keep pushing after Singapore progress
Despite missing out on victory, Charles Leclerc was encouraged by the developments Ferrari brought to Marina Bay. The improvements helped the SF-26 make progress, although he stressed that the team still needs another step before it can fight consistently for victories.
“We still need to make progress. We brought some parts here that helped us take steps forward, even if it’s still not enough. By continuing to push as hard as possible, we hope we can find ourselves fighting for first place again as soon as possible.”
For Ferrari, the Singapore result therefore represented both a valuable second place and further evidence of progress, while also underlining how much work remains before the team can regularly challenge Max Verstappen and its other rivals for victory. More coverage of the Monegasque’s season and Ferrari performances is available in the Charles Leclerc news section.
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