Charles Leclerc is left with mixed feelings after the Singapore Grand Prix. Given the race and the circumstances, the Monegasque was satisfied with P4, but on the other hand he had still hoped for a podium place. Due to yesterday’s qualifying result, Leclerc knew what the plan was, namely to protect his teammate and pole sitter Carlos Sainz. He was therefore very happy that the team succeeded in their aim.
Leclerc mainly had to think about defense at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. The Monegasque was tasked to protect his teammate in his pursuit of victory. ‘I expected it to be a difficult race. Because I started behind Carlos, I knew I would be the one to create a gap between him and the rest during the first stint. That was also important for me to be able to stop earlier without undercutting Carlos,” Leclerc explained to Viaplay. ‘I can’t complain today. I should have done better yesterday.’
During the first stint, Ferrari had complete control of the race. With Leclerc in P2 and Sainz in the lead, the Scuderia dictated the pace, but as usual, a safety car mixed up the order. ‘We managed our race perfectly, but I had some bad luck due to the safety car. I lost a lot of places because of the traffic in the pit lane.’ The vast majority of the field also arrived at the announcement and so Leclerc indeed had to stop a little longer after his team’s double pit stop. “It is what it is,” he concluded afterwards with a smile on his face.
A late strategy change
Leclerc has been thinking about it since qualifying. He had to pass Russell as quickly as possible during the race so that he could determine the race together with pole sitter Sainz. That led to a late change in strategy. ‘I thought about my plan very late this morning. I knew it would be crucial for me, but also for the team, to get past George as quickly as possible,” the Monegasque explained his choice to start on the soft tire.
