After the progress following the summer break, Ferrari has once again found itself in an unfortunate period over the last two races. In Baku, for the umpteenth time, the team accumulated regrets, failing to capitalize on its starting position and the pace of the SF-24, which could have led to its first victory in Azerbaijan, at least judging by its dominance until the SF-24 suffered tire degradation and fell behind McLaren, to whom Leclerc was forced to yield. This unlucky period was also reflected in Carlos Sainz’s race, as after managing his first stint, he was aiming for a podium, only to collide with Sergio Perez’s Red Bull and drop out of the Baku race.
A series of negative factors that Maranello hoped to move past with the Singapore GP weekend, where last year Ferrari achieved its only victory. A repeat seemed possible, driven by a desire for redemption and based on the results after the first day of free practice, where once again the SF-24 showed promising signs. This encouraged the team to express confidence about their chances of fighting for pole position and the win.
However, the positive atmosphere didn’t carry through to the end of Q3 at Marina Bay, with both Ferrari cars setting the ninth and tenth fastest times. Carlos Sainz, in tenth, didn’t even participate in Q3 due to a crash before starting his lap, possibly caused by low tire temperatures and the resulting lack of grip. This same deficit, albeit with less disastrous consequences, affected Charles Leclerc, who, also struggling with grip, finished Q3 in seventh place, only to be relegated due to exceeding track limits. This result will inevitably force Ferrari into a comeback race, with expectations significantly lowered compared to the lead-up.
This disappointing qualifying was analyzed on “TopSpeed Blog” by Italian journalist Umberto Zapelloni, who didn’t mince words in describing Ferrari’s poor performance, which compromised a weekend where the SF-24 seemed poised to fight for the win (now almost completely out of reach, barring major incidents at the front).
“Red disappointment. Ferrari’s weekend became incredibly complicated just when Charles should have unleashed his winning weapon, the fast lap in qualifying. Starting ninth and tenth in Singapore means abandoning dreams of glory unless something unusual happens up front.” – he pointed out.
An almost inexplicable lack of form from the Maranello team, which in just 24 hours found itself with a car no longer performing as it had in free practice (unlike Red Bull, who were off the pace on Friday) and even up to Q2, where their final times would have put Ferrari in the second row, setting up a very different race.
“Ferrari was the only team missing. Carlos Sainz hit the wall, and Charles Leclerc saw his time (seventh place anyway) deleted for exceeding track limits at turn two. But Charles was never really competitive this Saturday after chasing Lando the day before. In 24 hours, Red Bull found itself, while Ferrari got lost. […] Starting so far back is a real shame because Ferrari had the potential here. But in this Formula 1, if you’re not perfect, you go nowhere. With the time set in Q2, he would have started in the second row.” – Umberto Zapelloni concluded at the end of the qualifying session for the Singapore Grand Prix.
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