Charles Leclerc speechless after Singapore qualifying: “The problem started after FP2…”

Charles Leclerc speechless after Singapore qualifying: “The problem started after FP2…”. Charles Leclerc was left deeply frustrated after Ferrari’s poor qualifying in Singapore..

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-25, front wing, garage

Once again, Ferrari delivered a disappointing performance in qualifying. As has often happened this season, Charles Leclerc arrived visibly frustrated and discouraged when speaking to the media after the Singapore Grand Prix qualifying session. The Monegasque driver revealed what he described as the main issue that affected the SF-25 throughout the day at Marina Bay.Charles Leclerc will start tomorrow’s race from a bitter seventh position on the grid, behind his teammate Lewis Hamilton. It was a qualifying session that never truly came to life for Ferrari — there were some positive flashes in Q1, a huge risk of elimination in Q2 when Leclerc came dangerously close to dropping out, and a final Q3 segment that lacked any real spark or competitiveness.The gap to pole-sitter George Russell was over half a second, a worrying margin considering that Russell and Mercedes are Ferrari’s direct rivals in the Constructors’ Championship. However, as Charles Leclerc later explained during his post-session interviews, the source of Ferrari’s problem has been the same throughout the weekend. With Singapore’s notoriously bumpy track surface, the team was forced to raise the car’s ride height after FP1 to prevent excessive plank wear. This change, though necessary, completely altered the car’s balance and stability.

“It was an extremely difficult day, and an incredibly tough weekend for us,” said a visibly disappointed Charles Leclerc. “After FP1, we were relatively quick and still had a bit of margin to improve, but we were forced to modify the car setup. From FP2 onwards, we started to struggle massively.”

The Monegasque driver admitted that while the reasons behind the changes were understandable, they ultimately compromised Ferrari’s performance. “There’s always an explanation for everything, but at this point, it doesn’t help anymore. When a team like Mercedes, which on paper wasn’t expected to be strong here in Singapore, manages to take pole position, we really have no excuses left,” he continued.

Charles Leclerc concluded by expressing how powerless he felt during qualifying. “We have to do better. I honestly don’t know what to say anymore. I gave it absolutely everything, but it was incredibly difficult out there.”

Ferrari’s weekend in Singapore now looks like an uphill battle, with both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton needing a perfect strategy and strong race pace to recover positions in Sunday’s Grand Prix. However, the setup compromise made after FP2 could continue to limit the SF-25’s potential, leaving the team once again struggling to find the right balance between performance and stability on one of the toughest circuits of the season.