79 thousandths is the price to pay for Charles Leclerc, who in the hunt for Pole in Singapore he had to settle for third place. Two weeks later, the excellent performances seen in Monza were repeated at Ferrari, with a Sainz particularly fast in one of the best conditions for the SF-23, that of the flying lap, on a circuit that has no long-distance corners. In Singapore the line between an excellent lap and a disaster is really thin, furthermore here qualifying matters more, as it is a circuit where it is difficult to overtake. With Red Bull out of the picture – both exited in Q2, furthermore Verstappen risks losing other positions due to impeding – Leclerc like Sainz and Russell, or Norris has sensed the most important opportunity of the season.
For the first time in the race, as happened in qualifying, between accidents and traffic, anything can really happen. Victory is within the reach of at least two teams, Ferrari and Mercedes. Charles will therefore have to not only protect himself from Norris and Hamilton but also think about how to overtake those two in front, Russell and Sainz. Both are tough guys when it comes to defense.
Ferrari is now led by Sainz
The first enemy for drivers is their teammate. At Monza we also witnessed a close battle between the two. Even though Russell is involved, we cannot rule out a return to arms for the two Ferrari drivers. Both feel the competition and want to win but far from thinking that Leclerc's moves come from desperation. The team is understanding the package of the single-seater, and that is linked to the tracks on which it races. The next races will be more challenging for the SF-23 and if there is still one shot that can be exploited this season to interrupt the Red Bull dominance, it is precisely in Singapore. It doesn't matter who you are with.
The Spaniard was the fastest of the pair in two of the three races sessions test in Singapore. Ferrari demonstrated that it can make the most of the track thanks to the new changes. In this second part of the season, the SF-23 seems to adapt better to Carlos' style, and this guarantees him a pace that is difficult to beat.
Leclerc's words
“One of the most important points is tire temperature and lap warm-up. It's always a balance between the first and last sectors. We were all very close, Mercedes was also very strong. Unfortunately I was missing a little bit to gain those two positions that separate me from Pole, but even today Carlos did a good job, first and third position for the team and we'll see what we can do tomorrow. Tomorrow will also be demanding from a physical point of view because it is very hot. But it went well, we didn't expect to be so competitive on this track. It's an excellent sign for the future. We also collected positive data on race pace, so we expect to be able to compete.”
We just have to wait for it race, tomorrow to find out if Ferrari will be able to get their hands on the most coveted trophy.
