Another disappointment in Singapore qualifying: is the SF-25 undrivable? Vasseur’s analysis
Ferrari faced significant difficulties during the Singapore Grand Prix qualifying sessions, leaving team principal Fred Vasseur to provide an in-depth analysis of the SF-25’s challenges. Despite Lewis Hamilton showing signs of finding a rhythm and decent feeling with the car earlier in the weekend, Maranello left Saturday without smiles, with sixth and seventh positions in qualifying putting the team in a tricky situation ahead of tomorrow’s race.
The qualifying session had initially started well for Lewis Hamilton, who topped the timesheets in Q1. In Q2, he ended up seventh, just three-tenths behind the fastest lap, and in Q3 he could not climb higher than the third row — a result far below the expectations that Hamilton had set for himself before qualifying began.
Charles Leclerc had fewer expectations compared to his teammate and struggled more throughout the session. He finished Q1 in an anonymous eighth position, eight-tenths off Lewis Hamilton’s time. By the middle of Q2, he was at risk of elimination, but with his final attempt he managed to secure a place in Q3. On that last run, Charles Leclerc finished seventh overall, six-tenths behind the fastest lap set by George Russell.
Fred Vasseur comments on Ferrari’s performance
“The feeling is that we haven’t been able to extract the best from the car, not just today but across the entire weekend,” explained Fred Vasseur. “It’s true that we had a very good pace on Friday morning. During qualifying, we set the required time in Q1 towards the end, but we probably didn’t take the right direction throughout the session. It’s disappointing when we compare this to what we achieved on Friday morning or even in Q1 when we were leading.”
Fred Vasseur also highlighted the unexpected progress of Mercedes during the weekend, despite conditions that were generally not favorable for the German team. “I think Mercedes is improving. They struggled a lot yesterday but were impressive today. This shows that they have made a huge step forward compared to everyone, not just compared to us,” he said.
The Ferrari team principal returned to the topic of the SF-25, explaining what he means when he talks about a qualifying session in which they couldn’t extract maximum performance. “Everything is very much on the limit. It’s not an easy car to drive, and finding the right approach for the tyre preparation lap is difficult. Sometimes the conditions are good at the start of the lap but not at the end,” Fred Vasseur explained.
Fred Vasseur concluded with a focus on the positives of the weekend: “I want to take the positive aspects from the weekend. We were there on Friday morning, we were there in Q1, and we need to keep developing and maintaining this approach. We must continue to push and believe that we can succeed, because today we are only one-tenth behind McLaren.”
Despite the challenges in Singapore, Fred Vasseur’s assessment emphasizes that Ferrari still has the foundation to improve, with consistent development and focus on understanding the SF-25’s limits. The team must address issues like car balance, tyre management, and lap preparation to extract the maximum potential from their car in future races, especially on demanding circuits like Marina Bay.
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