Ferrari will start the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix with Charles Leclerc second and Lewis Hamilton third, giving the Maranello team an opportunity to challenge pole-sitter Max Verstappen when the lights go out at Marina Bay. Both Ferrari drivers demonstrated strong pace in qualifying, with the SF-26 particularly competitive through the circuit’s technical middle sector. Although pole position ultimately went to Red Bull, Ferrari’s front-row and second-row starting positions could prove crucial on a track where overtaking is notoriously difficult.
Singapore Grand Prix qualifying followed a similar pattern to the earlier Sprint, but with one important difference. This time, Charles Leclerc secured second place behind Max Verstappen, while Lewis Hamilton qualified third. The Dutchman had appeared slightly below his best during Q1 and Q2 before rediscovering his pace at the decisive moment to claim pole position.
For Ferrari, however, the session was encouraging. The result confirmed the competitiveness already demonstrated during Saturday morning’s Sprint and reinforced the positive assessment Lewis Hamilton had offered after that race. The SF-26 is a strong package around Marina Bay and, with the right setup, could potentially have put even greater pressure on its rivals.
Ferrari’s Singapore GP qualifying pace highlights SF-26 strengths
Ferrari appears to have finally found an effective configuration for the particular demands of the Marina Bay Street Circuit. The starting positions secured by Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton provide clear evidence of that progress, but the sector-time comparisons offer an even more revealing picture of the car’s performance.
Lewis Hamilton was particularly competitive in the second sector during both Q1 and Q2. He continued to demonstrate the SF-26’s potential through the more technical sections, although several mistakes in Q3, possibly related to oversteer, prevented him from putting together his strongest possible lap.
Red Bull appeared to have the advantage in the first and third sectors, while Ferrari was relatively stronger through the circuit’s more technical and demanding middle section. This is particularly significant because that part of Marina Bay seems to allow the SF-26 to exploit its strongest characteristics.
The contrast between the teams also reflects the importance of balancing traction, aerodynamic performance and straight-line efficiency. These competing demands are examined in the Marina Bay circuit analysis of Ferrari’s traction and speed requirements, which highlights the different challenges presented by Singapore’s layout.
Charles Leclerc also delivered an excellent qualifying performance. Although the Monegasque did not record the fastest individual sector times and acknowledged making some small mistakes and corrections through the corners, he ultimately produced the lap that mattered.
After finishing behind Lewis Hamilton in both Q1 and Q2, Charles Leclerc moved ahead of his team-mate in Q3 and secured a place on the front row alongside Max Verstappen.
Charles Leclerc reveals braking problems during Singapore qualifying
Speaking to Formula 1 after qualifying, Charles Leclerc admitted that the session had been far from straightforward, despite his impressive final result.
“Let’s say I managed to put in the good lap at the right moment, right at the end. I struggled quite a lot during this qualifying session. In Q1 and Q2, I had a lot of difficulties with the braking system and the car was pulling slightly under braking, which doesn’t give you any confidence on a street circuit like this. In the end, I managed to extract a good lap, even though I made a few small mistakes. The potential to take pole was definitely there today, but Max did a better job than me.”
The braking difficulties were particularly troublesome because of the nature of Marina Bay. With barriers close to the racing line and numerous demanding braking zones, confidence in the car’s behaviour is essential for extracting the maximum lap time.
Charles Leclerc nevertheless managed to overcome those limitations when it mattered most, producing his strongest performance in the final moments of Q3.
The Ferrari driver also explained the adjustments made between the different sessions to improve the balance of his SF-26.
“It’s always difficult to make direct comparisons between the two sessions. On my side, I changed a few things to optimise the balance, although I was fairly happy yesterday. Perhaps there was just a small misjudgement with the front-wing downforce, but if you ask any driver on the grid, everyone could have done a slightly better job on their final attempt in Q3.”
His comments suggest that Ferrari’s setup was already reasonably competitive, although finding the final improvements in balance remained a challenge as the track evolved.
Lewis Hamilton explains Ferrari’s Q3 problems after strong Singapore performance
Lewis Hamilton also enjoyed a highly competitive qualifying session around the streets of Marina Bay, demonstrating the strength of the SF-26, particularly through the second sector.
Speaking to Formula 1, the seven-time world champion explained that Ferrari’s setup changes had improved his confidence in the car.
“It was another incredibly close Q3 for me. Before qualifying, we made some setup changes and the car felt significantly better.”
Lewis Hamilton had been building momentum throughout the session, but problems during his final qualifying attempts prevented him from fully exploiting the performance available.
“I was finding my rhythm again and pushing harder and harder with every lap. Q1 and Q2 were fantastic, then on my first attempt in Q3 I had some severe bouncing over the kerb between Turn 1 and Turn 3, losing two tenths. On the final lap, I struggled with bottoming again. There’s always an incredibly fine margin between taking the car to the limit and going just beyond it. As the track evolved, there was more grip and you had to react, but I couldn’t put together the perfect lap in the final sector.”
The problems described by Lewis Hamilton underline how difficult it can be to extract maximum performance from the SF-26 at Marina Bay. Although the car showed excellent speed through the technical sections, the combination of kerbs, changing grip levels and sensitivity to ride height made the decisive qualifying laps particularly demanding.
Ferrari’s competitiveness in Singapore had already been a subject of optimism before the weekend, with Lewis Hamilton’s prospects at Marina Bay supported by the characteristics of the circuit and the potential strengths of the SF-26.
Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari can attack Max Verstappen with two cars
Despite missing out on pole position, Lewis Hamilton was encouraged by Ferrari’s overall qualifying result and believes the team has an opportunity to challenge Max Verstappen in Sunday’s Grand Prix.
The British driver praised Red Bull’s progress while highlighting the importance of having both Ferrari cars immediately behind the pole-sitter.
“Red Bull have done a fantastic job, both with the engine and the aerodynamic package. The upgrade they brought to Baku put them ahead of everyone. However, getting two Ferraris into P2 and P3 is a fantastic result for the team. Tomorrow we can work as a real team to put pressure on Max and match his pace: attacking him with two cars is the only way to try to beat him.”
Lewis Hamilton’s assessment reflects the strategic opportunity Ferrari has created through its qualifying performance. Charles Leclerc will start directly alongside Max Verstappen, while Lewis Hamilton will be positioned immediately behind them.
That gives Ferrari two potential opportunities to challenge for the lead, either through the opening exchanges or by using the positions of both drivers to influence the race strategically.
Ferrari targets Singapore GP start as Leclerc and Hamilton eye victory
Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix is expected to be a difficult race, particularly because overtaking opportunities at Marina Bay are limited. Starting position is therefore especially important, and the opening lap could have a major influence on the eventual result.
Lewis Hamilton has already demonstrated his ability to make an effective start during the Singapore Sprint, climbing from sixth to third position in the opening stages.
Max Verstappen’s starts in both the Singapore Sprint and the previous race at Sepang also suggest that retaining the lead when the lights go out cannot be taken for granted.
For Ferrari, this creates an encouraging opportunity. If Charles Leclerc or Lewis Hamilton can move into the lead during the opening stages, the difficulty of overtaking at Marina Bay could give them a realistic chance of defending that position all the way to the chequered flag.
However, a strong start alone would not be enough. Ferrari would also need an excellent performance from its pit wall, with effective pit-stop strategies and well-judged decisions throughout the race.
Track position, pit-stop timing and the possibility of different strategic approaches could all influence the outcome. Ferrari’s broader performance in these areas can be explored through its technical and race strategy analysis.
At a circuit where passing another car is particularly challenging, starting at the front or securing the lead early represents a considerable advantage.
Ferrari has given itself the opportunity to fight for victory with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton starting second and third. The SF-26 has demonstrated the necessary competitiveness, but the team must now show that it can make the most of its opportunity against Max Verstappen when the Singapore Grand Prix gets underway.
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