News Summary
- Charles Leclerc believes Ferrari had the potential to beat Max Verstappen to Singapore GP pole, despite finishing 0.054s behind the Red Bull driver.
- The Monegasque reported unusual braking behaviour throughout Q1 and Q2, with his car pulling to one side under braking.
- Leclerc also acknowledged mistakes on his final Q3 lap and a possible misjudgment with the wing adjustment.
Charles Leclerc believes Ferrari could have taken pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix after qualifying just 0.054s behind Max Verstappen on Saturday, October 10, despite struggling with braking problems and an imperfect final lap at Marina Bay.
The Monegasque secured second place with a 1:31.427, while Verstappen claimed his 50th career pole with a 1:31.373. Lewis Hamilton completed the top three for Ferrari, just 0.123s behind the Red Bull driver.
Leclerc’s result came after a difficult opening two qualifying segments, during which he struggled with inconsistent braking behaviour before finding a more competitive balance for Q3.
Leclerc reveals unusual braking problems in Q1 and Q2
Leclerc acknowledged that his final lap had been his strongest of the session, but explained that Ferrari had struggled to provide him with a predictable car during the earlier stages.
“Yeah, let’s say that the good lap was on the right lap at the end, but I had a lot of struggles during this qualifying,” Leclerc said after securing second place.
“Q1 and Q2 was very difficult. I had some weird things going on with the brakes, car pulling a bit under braking, which is not so nice on a track like here.”
The Marina Bay Street Circuit places considerable demands on braking stability, with repeated heavy-braking zones and limited room for error near the barriers.
Despite the problems, Leclerc managed to advance into Q3 and challenge Verstappen for pole.
“But then in Q3, the lap was okay. I did some mistakes. I think there was a potential to be on pole today, but Max just did a better job.”
As GRANDE PRÊMIO reported in the complete Singapore qualifying results, Leclerc finished ahead of Hamilton, with Kimi Antonelli fourth and Lando Norris fifth.
Ferrari wing adjustment leaves Leclerc questioning final lap
Leclerc also discussed Ferrari’s setup decisions after the team had experimented with different configurations during Friday’s running.
The Monegasque explained that he had been relatively comfortable with the car before qualifying and had made only limited changes.
“Well, I guess, yeah, on my side, I changed a little bit the car to make sure for the last five shootings,” Leclerc said.
“I was relatively happy with the car yesterday, so I changed a few things, not so much.”
However, he acknowledged that an adjustment to the wing during Q3 might not have been ideal.
“But, yeah, at the end of the day, just a bit of misjudgment in Q3 with the wing. Maybe we could have done a bit of a better job.”
“But I think if you ask all drivers on the grid, everybody can find something on that last lap in Q3.”
The comments came after Ferrari demonstrated competitive pace throughout the Singapore weekend, with Hamilton finishing second and Leclerc third in Saturday’s rain-affected sprint.
The complete Singapore sprint results show Ferrari taking a double podium behind Verstappen, who also secured pole for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Leclerc starts alongside Verstappen on Singapore front row
Leclerc will start Sunday’s Grand Prix from second place, sharing the front row with Verstappen after narrowly missing pole.
The Ferrari driver has previously taken pole at Marina Bay, including in 2019 and 2022, but has yet to win the Singapore Grand Prix.
Hamilton will start third, giving Ferrari two cars immediately behind Verstappen and an opportunity to challenge Red Bull at the start.
Verstappen, meanwhile, enters Sunday’s race after explaining how Red Bull’s 2026 car has become more competitive at Singapore, where the team had not taken Grand Prix pole since 2013.
The updated Singapore GP schedule, including Sunday’s race time is available in GRANDE PRÊMIO, which follows the latest Formula 1 news throughout the Singapore GP weekend.
