Ferrari left Singapore Sprint Qualifying with mixed feelings after showing genuine pace early in the session but ultimately settling for third with Charles Leclerc and sixth with Lewis Hamilton. The SF-26 looked particularly strong on corner entry and through the middle of the turns, but traction and straight-line performance remained a weakness, once again highlighting the limitations linked to the power unit.
After practice, Ferrari needed another step forward to fight for pole position. Charles Leclerc eventually secured third place, while Lewis Hamilton had to settle for sixth, leaving the Scuderia short of the result its earlier pace had suggested.
Marina Bay SQ1: Ferrari deals with Charles Leclerc engine concern
Both Ferrari cars headed onto the track on Medium tyres, a compound the team had completely ignored during the only free practice session. The initial approach was methodical, with careful tyre preparation during the out-lap. Traffic was heavy, however, and finding the right track position for a clean lap was far from straightforward.
Partly for that reason, Charles Leclerc abandoned his first attempt and completed a cool-down lap instead. Lewis Hamilton, by contrast, completed his run and immediately moved into first place. Almost immediately afterwards, the red flag appeared when Sergio Perez hit the barriers. The Mexican managed to continue, but dragged debris from his front wing around the circuit.
Ten minutes later the session resumed, with Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari immediately returning to the track on Medium tyres. Lewis Hamilton followed two minutes later. The pit wall asked both drivers whether they preferred a single warm-up lap or an additional lap to bring the tyres into the ideal operating window. Lewis Hamilton was unsure and asked the engineers for guidance, but in the end one preparation lap proved sufficient.
Two minutes later, an alarm appeared in Charles Leclerc’s cockpit. “What’s happening on the straights?” he asked. His race engineer remained calm: “We have a problem, but keep pushing.” Fortunately, the issue appeared to clear, allowing Charles Leclerc to complete the lap and move into second place. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton set another time without improving, as Max Verstappen and George Russell lowered their own benchmarks.
Marina Bay SQ2: Ferrari flies on the Medium tyres
The two Ferrari cars progressed comfortably through the first cut. It was important, however, to consider that the engine modes had remained relatively low up to that point. The key question was whether that would change in the second part of the session and whether Ferrari’s power deficit would once again become a limiting factor.
SQ2 started late because of a problem with the FIA transponders used to record lap times. When the action resumed, every driver remained on the yellow-walled Pirelli Medium tyre, including Ferrari.
The two SF-26s immediately showed strong pace and moved to the top of the timesheets on different laps. Lewis Hamilton was particularly strong in the first and second sectors, while Charles Leclerc excelled in the final sector and ultimately finished the faster of the two. The cars appeared stable on the Medium compound, which seemed to work particularly well on the SF-26.
On the second attempt, Charles Leclerc produced an even stronger lap. Lewis Hamilton was also running quickly, but made a mistake on the entry to a corner in the final sector, ran wide and had to back off. At that stage, Ferrari appeared to have a genuine chance of fighting for pole, although it remained unclear whether the same feeling would carry over to the Soft tyres.
Marina Bay SQ3: Ferrari drops to third and sixth
The decisive phase arrived with both Ferrari drivers leaving the pit lane on a set of red-walled Pirelli Soft tyres. Charles Leclerc immediately started strongly and moved to the top of the timesheets, although only 0.019 seconds ahead of Lando Norris.
Lewis Hamilton also began his lap aggressively, but made a mistake in the second sector that required a significant correction. It proved costly at the point in the session when precision mattered most.
Charles Leclerc completed another lap and improved his time, but could manage only third place, around two and a half tenths behind Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, with George Russell second. Lewis Hamilton’s best effort was good enough only for sixth.
As expected, power-unit performance played an important role in the final outcome, while the Soft tyre may also have suited Ferrari less effectively than the Medium compound. The contrast between the two tyre behaviours will now be an important area to watch, particularly after the strong stability the SF-26 showed earlier in the session. Ferrari’s broader performance around the venue can also be explored through our Marina Bay circuit analysis.
The qualifying outcome also adds another data point to the season-long comparison between Ferrari’s two drivers, which can be followed through the Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton season comparison.
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