Ferrari heads into the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix with genuine reasons for optimism about the SF-26, but one persistent weakness could undermine Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at Marina Bay. The car should benefit from several characteristics of the street circuit, yet reported rear-end stability difficulties remain a potentially significant obstacle on a venue where traction and confidence at the rear are particularly important.
Formula 1 has travelled directly from Sepang to Singapore for round 17 of the season, with Hamilton aiming to build on his third-place finish at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. That result returned Ferrari to the podium after six races and now gives the seven-time world champion an opportunity to secure consecutive top-three finishes for the first time since June.
Hamilton previously put together three successive podiums between Canada, Monaco and Barcelona, with the latter also delivering his first Ferrari victory. Since then, however, he has only reached the rostrum in Britain and at Sepang, making Singapore another important opportunity to confirm the Scuderia’s recent recovery.
Ferrari rear stability could become a major Singapore weakness
The central concern involves the SF-26’s rear-end behaviour. Formula Technica reports that maintaining rear stability has been an inherent difficulty for Ferrari this season, while rival cars have generally found it easier to extract their potential at rear-limited circuits such as Monaco and Budapest.
That characteristic could become particularly important at Marina Bay. Ferrari’s strengths in medium-speed corners should theoretically help at several parts of the circuit, but instability at the rear could offset some of that advantage and make it harder for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc to exploit the car consistently.
The balance between traction and cornering performance is especially significant around the Marina Bay street circuit, where the walls leave little margin for a driver who lacks confidence in the rear of the car.
Ferrari nevertheless has reasons to believe Singapore can suit the SF-26. The Maranello team has already identified the weekend as an opportunity to maximise the qualities of its chassis and aerodynamic package, making the unresolved stability issue one of the clearest technical questions heading into the event.
High-downforce Ferrari rear wing could return at Marina Bay
Ferrari is also expected to maximise the SF-26’s potential by bringing back its high-downforce Macarena rear-wing configuration. The specification features additional aerodynamic elements in the centre of the rear wing and was previously used on the cars of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in Monaco.
The extra elements increase drag, but that penalty should be less important in Singapore because Marina Bay does not contain many long straights. Ferrari can therefore prioritise downforce more aggressively in an attempt to give both drivers greater performance through the circuit’s many corners.
The expected solution forms part of a broader high-downforce rear-wing approach for the SF-26 in Singapore. If the additional aerodynamic load can be combined with more predictable rear behaviour, the circuit could provide Ferrari with one of its stronger opportunities of the closing stages of the season.
However, the aerodynamic configuration alone will not eliminate the underlying concern. The main challenge will be ensuring that the car remains stable enough at the rear for its medium-speed performance to become an advantage rather than being compromised by a lack of confidence or traction.
Lewis Hamilton targets another podium after Sepang recovery
Hamilton arrives in Singapore with momentum after recovering to third at Sepang despite beginning the Bahrain Grand Prix on slick tyres in wet conditions. His podium was Ferrari’s first in six rounds and strengthened hopes that the team can produce another competitive weekend at Marina Bay.
Ferrari’s minimum objective is expected to be another podium, with George Russell’s back-of-the-grid engine penalty potentially helping the Scuderia’s prospects. Hamilton also has several reasons for optimism ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, although the SF-26’s rear stability remains a variable Ferrari must manage.
The Briton last stood on the Singapore podium in 2023, when he finished third for Mercedes. He followed that with sixth place in 2024 and eighth for Ferrari in 2025. A victory this weekend would be his first at Marina Bay since 2018 and would bring him level with Sebastian Vettel’s record total of five Singapore Grand Prix wins.
Charles Leclerc seeks first Singapore podium since 2022
Charles Leclerc also arrives with a clear opportunity. The Monegasque produced Ferrari’s most recent podium before Hamilton’s Sepang result, finishing second in Belgium one round after taking his only victory of the 2026 season at the British Grand Prix.
His recent Singapore record has been consistent without producing another podium. Leclerc finished second in 2022, then fourth in 2023, fifth in 2024 and sixth in 2026 during the ground-effect era.
If Ferrari can mitigate the SF-26’s rear stability weakness, Marina Bay could give Leclerc an opportunity to reverse that sequence and return to the Singapore podium. The latest developments around both Ferrari drivers can also be followed through ScuderiaFans’ Lewis Hamilton coverage and wider Ferrari reporting.
Singapore becomes a test of Ferrari’s strongest and weakest traits
On paper, Marina Bay contains several ingredients that should help Ferrari. The SF-26 can exploit its medium-speed corner performance, the shortage of long straights reduces the penalty associated with a high-downforce rear wing, and the team arrives immediately after returning to the podium in Malaysia.
Yet those strengths make the rear-end problem even more significant. If instability prevents Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc from extracting the car’s potential, Singapore could become another example of Ferrari having a theoretically suitable circuit without converting that compatibility into the expected result.
The weekend therefore represents an important technical test for the SF-26. Ferrari’s broader technical development has produced a package with clear strengths, but success at Marina Bay may ultimately depend on whether the Scuderia can control the weakness that has repeatedly made rear-limited circuits difficult.
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