The panel of stewards imposed only a financial penalty on Ferrari following the pit lane contact between Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris, with the Scuderia fined €10,000. The team’s performance on Friday was not particularly impressive, as Leclerc finished ninth and Lewis Hamilton tenth, yet the potential of the SF-25 appears to be much greater than what was seen during Friday’s practice sessions.
It will be necessary to wait until Saturday to understand what Ferrari can realistically aim for in the Singapore Grand Prix weekend. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton ended FP1 in second and fourth place respectively, before finishing ninth and tenth in the evening session. The two red flags that interrupted FP2 heavily disrupted the teams’ planned programs, while heavy traffic on the Marina Bay circuit compromised several qualifying simulations. Therefore, the overall picture is not yet representative enough to predict Ferrari’s potential in qualifying.
Leclerc’s second session was quite complicated, but despite the various setbacks, he remained optimistic about the car’s potential. He explained that FP1 had gone smoothly, but the second session was much more difficult due to traffic, red flags, and the pit lane collision with Lando Norris’ McLaren. The Monegasque underlined that although there were several negative moments, the car’s pace remained encouraging, leaving him confident for tomorrow. He stated that while he was unsure whether Ferrari would be fighting for pole position, the objective would be to qualify well and put the team in the best possible position for Sunday’s race.
The incident mentioned by Leclerc occurred in the pit lane about twenty minutes before the end of FP2 and initially raised concerns about a possible grid penalty. However, after reviewing similar past cases, the stewards decided to issue only a monetary fine of €10,000 to Ferrari. Leclerc later explained that there had been some confusion with both McLarens exiting the pit lane at the same time. He added that such situations can happen, especially in moments of high tension like after red flags, when everyone is in a hurry to get back on track. The driver admitted that it was something to avoid but noted that these situations occasionally occur in Formula 1.
Hamilton also faced some issues during the evening session, although in his case the problems were limited to being unable to complete a flying lap. The British driver described the day as generally productive, expressing satisfaction with how the car behaved and responded on the Singapore street circuit. He explained that both sessions had been used to adapt to the track and that good progress had been made between FP1 and FP2. However, the interruptions caused by the red flags prevented the team from completing its planned long runs. Nevertheless, Hamilton highlighted that there were encouraging signs to build on for the rest of the weekend.
Just as he did in Baku, Hamilton began the weekend on the same pace as Leclerc, confirming the improvements he has made since the summer break in terms of confidence and synergy with the Ferrari car. His adaptation continues to progress steadily, reinforcing Ferrari’s overall competitiveness in recent rounds.
For Ferrari’s direct rivals, the Italian team’s performance remains somewhat difficult to assess. When comparing Leclerc’s best lap with that of the session leader Oscar Piastri, Ferrari appeared to have an advantage of around four tenths of a second up to Turn 8. However, this margin was then erased three corners later, with the Scuderia ultimately finishing seven tenths behind by the time the checkered flag fell.
The impression is that neither Leclerc nor Hamilton have yet managed to fully extract the car’s potential. The work carried out by the team during the night in Maranello and Singapore will likely prove decisive in refining the setup for qualifying. The list of direct competitors is long, with familiar names such as the two McLarens and Max Verstappen, but also surprises like Isack Hadjar’s Racing Bulls and Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin, both expected to be competitive and ready to challenge Ferrari in qualifying.
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