Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur says the team will need to maximise every opportunity from FP1 at the Singapore Grand Prix, where the final Sprint weekend of the Formula 1 season will leave Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc with only one free practice session to prepare for the demanding Marina Bay street circuit.
Ferrari arrives in Singapore with renewed momentum after ending its podium drought at Sepang. The Maranello team hopes to repeat that result, although the Marina Bay circuit presents a challenge that could hardly be more different from the one encountered in neighbouring Malaysia.
Ferrari heads from Sepang to Singapore with podium momentum
At Sepang, Ferrari finally returned to the podium and now travels to Singapore hoping to remain near the front. The two SF-26 cars driven by Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc will face a street-circuit surface that, in theory, should not create excessive tyre degradation, but other characteristics of Marina Bay could prove less favourable.
The Singapore layout includes several long straights where engine power will be important, similarly to Baku. Power delivery at low speed will also be crucial when accelerating out of the circuit’s slow 90-degree corners. At least on paper, those characteristics do not appear particularly well suited to Ferrari’s strengths. Straight-line performance across the grid can also be explored through the F1 Top Speed Comparison.
The contrast with Malaysia is significant. At Sepang, Ferrari had to manage a very different tyre and circuit profile, with Pirelli’s compound selection for the Malaysian weekend forming an important part of the challenge for the SF-26.
Why the Singapore Sprint format could matter for Ferrari
Despite the controversy surrounding Ferrari’s incorrect tyre-compound choice during the Sepang race, the strategic error ultimately became far less influential after the Safety Car periods brought the field back together and allowed Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc to recover from the rear of the field.
The result gave Fred Vasseur the opportunity to experience the front end of the classification again, ending Ferrari’s podium drought while also increasing its advantage over McLaren in the battle for second place in the Constructors’ Championship. The evolving competitive picture can be followed through the Ferrari vs F1 Rivals statistics.
Fred Vasseur will be hoping Ferrari can produce a similar result in Singapore. The Sprint format could even offer the team an opportunity, given that Ferrari has frequently started weekends strongly with its initial Friday set-up before its rivals have made progress through the three traditional free practice sessions.
That usual development process will not exist in Singapore. With only one practice session before the competitive Sprint sessions begin, getting the baseline set-up right immediately could become even more important.
Fred Vasseur: Ferrari must maximise every Singapore session
“The final Sprint weekend of the season presents an additional challenge, precisely because we are racing in Singapore, a circuit where drivers generally want to complete as many laps as possible to build confidence,” Fred Vasseur explained.
“The gaps between the teams are very small and we need to make sure we maximise every session, particularly the only free practice session, to put the Ferrari drivers in the best possible conditions with the car. Singapore is one of the most demanding races of the year for every member of the team, and even more so this year as it comes at the end of a triple-header. We will give everything to achieve the best possible result.”
Leave a Reply