Max Verstappen may have completed a dominant Singapore Grand Prix weekend, but former Ferrari engineer Rob Smedley believes the final result did not reflect the true performance order. After studying Charles Leclerc’s qualifying and race data, Smedley concluded that Ferrari had the fastest car at Marina Bay and potentially had the performance required to beat Red Bull.
Verstappen took pole position, won the Sprint and then led every lap of the Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc finished second after starting alongside the Red Bull driver on the front row, while Lewis Hamilton lost a possible podium following a costly strategy decision. Yet Smedley believes Ferrari’s underlying pace was strong enough to produce a very different outcome.
Charles Leclerc data suggested Ferrari had more pace
Appearing on the High Performance Podcast, Rob Smedley explained that his analysis of qualifying showed Charles Leclerc running roughly three tenths quicker for around three-quarters of the lap. According to the former Ferrari engineer, the decisive loss came through Turns 17 to 19, where the advantage disappeared before the end of the lap.
Smedley argued that completing that qualifying lap successfully could have changed the entire shape of the race. At a circuit where track position was especially valuable, starting ahead of Max Verstappen would have given Ferrari a very different strategic platform from which to work.
The importance of the opening phase was clear in Ferrari’s own Singapore Grand Prix technical analysis. Charles Leclerc challenged the Red Bull driver at the start but did not get ahead, leaving him to spend the race trying to close the gap from behind.
Rob Smedley believes Charles Leclerc could have won
Race pace reinforced Smedley’s view. He felt Charles Leclerc drove strongly and was gradually reducing the deficit to Max Verstappen during the Grand Prix. Although he acknowledged that the Red Bull driver may still have had some performance in reserve, the data showed the Ferrari making up ground.
From Smedley’s perspective, a stronger combination of qualifying execution and race strategy could therefore have put Charles Leclerc in position to win. His conclusion was that Ferrari had the best car in Singapore, meaning Max Verstappen had managed to win despite not necessarily having the quickest package.
Smedley nevertheless allowed for the possibility that Verstappen was controlling his pace rather than driving at the absolute limit throughout. Even with that qualification, he maintained that the available data pointed towards Charles Leclerc having the speed to challenge more seriously than the final result suggested.
The Monegasque ultimately secured second place, a result that still offered Ferrari encouragement after a weekend in which its SF-26 showed genuine competitiveness. The significance of that performance was also evident in the assessment of why Charles Leclerc’s Singapore P2 gave Ferrari reason for optimism.
Ferrari failed to convert one of its strongest opportunities
Singapore also highlighted a recurring frustration for the Scuderia: strong performance did not translate into the maximum possible result. The SF-26’s aerodynamic package suited the characteristics of Marina Bay, and both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton demonstrated competitive pace at different stages of the weekend.
However, Ferrari was unable to convert that potential into victory. Charles Leclerc’s opportunity to take the lead disappeared at the start, while strategic decisions also shaped the outcome for both cars. Lewis Hamilton’s race was particularly costly, with the seven-time world champion later taking responsibility after his Singapore tyre gamble compromised his podium chances.
Red Bull, by contrast, successfully protected the advantage Max Verstappen established at the front. The team remained decisive in its strategic execution even when radio communication became a problem, while the Dutchman controlled the race from pole position to the chequered flag.
That contrast is central to Smedley’s assessment. His reading of the data suggests Ferrari may have possessed the outright pace required to win, but Red Bull and Max Verstappen were more effective at turning their opportunity into the result. For Ferrari, Singapore became another weekend where performance and execution did not fully align, despite Charles Leclerc finishing second and showing enough speed to leave questions over what might have been.
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