Charles Leclerc believes Ferrari’s simulator-to-track correlation has become one of the team’s strongest assets, but he has also delivered a clear warning ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix: the SF-26 is still missing the outright performance needed to match Formula 1’s fastest cars. With Marina Bay hosting its first Sprint weekend, Ferrari will have only one practice session to find the right operating window before competitive action begins.
The demanding Singapore street circuit already leaves little margin for error because drivers have to find the limit just centimetres from the barriers while dealing with intense heat and humidity. This year, the challenge is greater still because Saturday will feature the first Sprint held at Marina Bay, forcing teams to prepare their cars and understand the circuit after just a single free-practice session. Charles Leclerc addressed that challenge during Thursday’s media activities.
Charles Leclerc sees an advantage in Ferrari’s early weekend balance
Asked whether the reduced practice time could benefit Ferrari because the SF-26 often appears competitive early in race weekends, Charles Leclerc was cautious about that interpretation.
“I don’t know if we are necessarily that strong on Fridays. I mean, we are, but I think that mainly depends on the engine mappings the others use. As soon as qualifying starts, they have something extra that we currently lack. So I expect the same thing to happen here.”
Charles Leclerc therefore expects Ferrari could again look slightly stronger during FP1 than some of its rivals, while acknowledging that other teams appear able to unlock more performance when qualifying begins.
“In FP1 we could be slightly more competitive than our rivals, but they have an ace up their sleeve for qualifying that we don’t have at the moment. However, one of our strengths as a team is having a well-balanced car immediately, and that is certainly something we can use to our advantage during a Sprint Race.”
That characteristic could become particularly valuable on a weekend with so little preparation time, especially at a circuit where Ferrari believes the SF-26’s natural qualities could be useful. The broader reasons why Marina Bay could suit the SF-26 underline how important it will be for Ferrari to arrive with a competitive baseline from the opening laps.
Charles Leclerc nevertheless stopped short of suggesting that good preparation alone could make Ferrari the favourite. “It remains to be seen whether that will be enough to win. The outright performance of the car has been rather disappointing lately compared with the competition. So we’ll see where we are after FP1.”
Ferrari’s simulator correlation is strong, but raw performance is missing
Charles Leclerc then highlighted what has become both a strength and a limitation of the SF-26. Ferrari’s recent simulator work has translated very accurately to the circuit, allowing the team to arrive at race weekends with a car that is already well balanced.
“Over the last few weeks, the correlation between the simulator and the track has been excellent. That allows us to work at the factory and arrive in the paddock with a balanced car that I immediately feel comfortable with. It is all about preparation.”
The Monegasque made clear, however, that Ferrari’s current problem is not an incorrect set-up. The issue lies deeper in the overall performance available from the car.
“It is not a question of having the wrong set-up: the outright performance of the car is not currently at the level of the best, and making the balance more extreme would not allow us to gain even one thousandth more. We simply lack a little outright performance.”
That assessment explains why Ferrari can often begin a weekend looking competitive without necessarily maintaining the same relative position once rivals access their maximum qualifying potential. The Ferrari technical analysis section follows how those strengths and limitations have evolved across the SF-26 programme.
Singapore heat puts drivers and cooling systems under pressure
The physical demands of Singapore remain another major part of the weekend. Extreme heat and humidity have always made Marina Bay one of the toughest races for the drivers, although cooling vests now provide some relief.
Charles Leclerc explained that he would welcome an even more effective version. “If I could have an even more effective cooling vest, I would ask for it immediately. It works well for 15 or 20 laps, then the temperature rises exactly as if you weren’t wearing it, but I’m still grateful for those first 20 laps of relief.”
He added that every Formula 1 driver is fit enough to complete the race, but maintaining maximum efficiency through the closing stages becomes extremely difficult once dehydration takes hold.
“All the drivers on the grid are fit enough to finish the race, but maintaining 100% of your efficiency at the end, when you are completely dehydrated, is really tough. You always end up losing something along the way.”
Singapore Sprint offers preview of Monaco’s 2027 challenge
The first Sprint at a circuit such as Singapore will also provide an early indication of the challenge Formula 1 could face when Monaco adopts the same format in 2027. Both venues offer limited room for error and place enormous importance on preparation when practice time is restricted.
Charles Leclerc likes one part of the Sprint structure but remains uncertain about how well two races will work at Monte Carlo. “The idea of two qualifying sessions is great, but I don’t know how good the idea of having two races in Monte Carlo is.”
He expects the Monaco Sprint weekend to be particularly complicated because teams will again have only a single practice session before competitive running begins. “It will be an extremely complicated weekend, perhaps even more than this one, with only one free-practice session. But for now, let’s think about Singapore: one step at a time.”
For Ferrari, the immediate focus is therefore on maximising the advantage created by its preparation and strong simulator correlation. With the latest Charles Leclerc Ferrari updates continuing to highlight the SF-26’s strengths and limitations, Singapore should offer an important measure of whether arriving with a well-balanced car can offset the outright performance deficit the Monegasque believes still separates Ferrari from the front.
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