Ferrari completed the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix Sprint with a double podium, as Lewis Hamilton finished second and Charles Leclerc third after a demanding race on intermediate tyres. Hamilton showed excellent pace at several stages and left the Sprint encouraged about Ferrari’s potential for qualifying and Sunday, while Charles Leclerc explained why his more aggressive balance choice became increasingly difficult as the circuit dried.
The result gave the Scuderia another positive outcome at Marina Bay, although the final laps were particularly tense for Charles Leclerc. Ferrari struggled with the intermediate tyres as conditions evolved, while Lewis Hamilton was able to recover stronger pace late in the race.
Lewis Hamilton charges from sixth to third at the start
With the circuit extremely wet, the start was delayed by around half an hour. Several laps were then completed behind the Safety Car before racing finally got underway.
Lewis Hamilton made a superb launch from sixth and climbed immediately to third, also moving ahead of his team-mate. The first major twist arrived at the end of the opening lap when George Russell, who had passed Max Verstappen at the start, made a mistake and crashed. The Mercedes driver apologised and retired from the race.
Further incidents extended the Safety Car period, including contact between Sergio Pérez and Lance Stroll, brake problems for Isack Hadjar and Franco Colapinto stopping on track.
When racing resumed, Lewis Hamilton’s SF-26 initially appeared capable of putting pressure on Max Verstappen. The Red Bull driver subsequently pulled away as Ferrari encountered difficulties, while Charles Leclerc also suffered increasingly towards the end. The changing positions throughout the Sprint can be followed with the F1 Race Position & Progression Tracker.
Lewis Hamilton encouraged by Ferrari pace before qualifying
After the Sprint, Lewis Hamilton was particularly positive about both his start and Ferrari’s potential. He said: “I had a fantastic start. I absolutely love driving here when the track is partially wet. As soon as the rain came, I knew it could be a special day.”
The seven-time world champion explained that he had initially been close to Max Verstappen, but overtaking opportunities were limited because there was effectively only one usable racing line. At the same time, his rear tyres were beginning to struggle.
“I was close to Verstappen, but there was practically only one line you could drive and the rear tyres were starting to suffer. I preferred to manage them and then push again towards the end,” Lewis Hamilton explained.
That approach paid off once the balance of his Ferrari became more stable. After an opening phase affected by relatively rapid intermediate-tyre degradation, Lewis Hamilton was able to match Max Verstappen’s lap times in the closing laps.
The tyre sequences and stint behaviour can be explored further through the ScuderiaFans F1 Tyre & Stint Analysis.
Hamilton believes Ferrari can pressure Red Bull and Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton also took encouragement from the overall competitiveness of the SF-26 and believes Ferrari can put itself into contention if qualifying goes slightly better.
“We showed that we clearly have a good car. I think if we can do slightly better in qualifying, getting both cars up there, then we can put pressure on both Red Bull and Mercedes tomorrow. They are fast, of course, but we can be there making life difficult for them.”
He added: “Hopefully we can put the car in a slightly better position in this upcoming qualifying session. We already have a huge crowd here on Saturday, so a big round of applause to everyone here in Singapore!”
Ferrari’s performance over one lap will therefore become particularly important, with overtaking at Marina Bay extremely difficult. The team’s qualifying performance can be tracked through the F1 Qualifying Pace & Sector Comparison.
Charles Leclerc explains why his aggressive balance stopped working
Charles Leclerc’s race developed differently. The Monegasque had opted for a more aggressive balance, moving in the opposite direction from his usual preference. That worked well during the wetter opening phase but became a major limitation as the circuit dried.
“I struggled a lot from the middle of the race onwards. I went for quite an aggressive balance, on the opposite side from what I normally do, which was pretty good in the first part of the race, but then when the track dried I was out of the game. So it was a little complicated at the end,” Charles Leclerc explained.
The front end became a particular problem. His set-up was more heavily biased towards the front axle, and the difficulty intensified as the intermediate tyres struggled on the drying surface.
Charles Leclerc explained that he knew he needed a strong exit from Turn 5 because he was weak through the right-hand corners, particularly due to the front-left tyre.
“I had a pretty good exit, but then I looked in the mirrors and saw the red lights on the back of the McLarens, so I understood something had happened,” he said.
Charles Leclerc added that Kimi Antonelli had also been particularly strong in the closing stages, before concluding: “We simply didn’t have the pace at the end.”
The contrasting behaviour of the two SF-26s adds another useful data point to the Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton season comparison, especially regarding how the two drivers managed changing tyre conditions.
Singapore qualifying officially delayed by 30 minutes
Ferrari now turns its attention to qualifying, where execution will need to be particularly precise if the team wants to create a strong opportunity for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
The start time for qualifying has officially been delayed by 30 minutes following the disruption to the Sprint programme. The session will therefore begin at 15:30 Central European Summer Time.
Leave a Reply