What we saw over the weekend in Singapore represents exactly the evolution of Formula 1 in recent years. Watching interviews means seeing drivers who are now remote-controlled by the F1 teams’ press offices, with every statement crafted for the good of the team. In the rare cases where a driver speaks spontaneously, the entire communication strategy collapses. What happened between Ferrari and Charles Leclerc in Singapore is just the latest example.
With a very competitive car on street circuits, the Monegasque driver had to settle for starting from the fifth row.
After qualifying, Charles Leclerc’s surprise was immediately evident in the post-session interviews.
“The front tires weren’t up to temperature. I tried to do my best to bring the front tires up to temperature,” the Monegasque explained, which, in fact, affected his only attempt in Q3: “there was no way, and I locked up under braking.”
But what happened to Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari before Q3?
With all the technology available, it was possible to immediately analyze the onboard videos of the Ferrari driver to understand what happened.
Just 3 minutes before the Monegasque went out on track, something strange happened with the tire warmer on the front left. In the video (now removed from major social networks), you can see the mechanic fiddling with the tire warmer cable, probably after realizing that it wasn’t working.
After a few seconds, another mechanic was asked to fetch something from Carlos Sainz’s side of the garage; he soon returned holding another cable, which was used to replace the one on the front left. It’s therefore easy to infer that the problem Charles Leclerc mentioned was due to a malfunction, discovered too late, with the tire warmer.
The (questionable) strategy to cover up the mistake
As soon as the video went viral online, a strategy to cover up the mistake was put in place. Sources closest to Maranello rushed to deny, sadly and without any valid explanation, what anyone could clearly observe from the video.
Further evidence supporting the tire warmer malfunction came right after the Singapore race during a little exchange between the Monegasque and journalists. Charles Leclerc, after a great and furious recovery drive, spoke freely to Sky, backtracking on his previous day’s statements, as pointed out by the Italian website f1ingenerale.
“The tires yesterday weren’t at the right temperature, but I am responsible for that qualifying session. […] With my statements yesterday, perhaps it wasn’t clear, and the right message didn’t come across.”
For a team that claims to want to fight for the Constructors’ Championship in such a competitive season, results need to be maximized, especially on favorable tracks. Unfortunately, for years now, Maranello has been losing its composure in crucial moments, and the patience of drivers who love the Red should not be taken for granted.
It’s hard to imagine that a Lewis Hamilton, as was the case with Fernando Alonso, would be asked to make a public backtrack to save the team.
Yet, it seems increasingly evident that in modern Formula 1, embarrassing strategies are needed to cover up glaring mistakes like the one made by Ferrari in the qualifying session for the Singapore Grand Prix. Much to the dismay of those, like the fans, who deserve clarity.
— see video above —
