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- Charles Leclerc believes Ferrari had the potential to beat Max Verstappen to Singapore GP pole<\/strong>, despite finishing 0.054s behind the Red Bull driver.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The Monegasque reported unusual braking behaviour throughout Q1 and Q2<\/strong>, with his car pulling to one side under braking.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Leclerc also acknowledged mistakes on his final Q3 lap and a possible misjudgment with the wing adjustment<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Charles Leclerc believes Ferrari could have taken pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Monegasque secured second place with a 1:31.427<\/strong>, 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"F1](\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/f1-2026-singapura-sprint-marina-bay-ferrari-charles-leclerc-2-1024x576.png\")
Charles Leclerc (Photo: Ferrari)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Leclerc reveals unusual braking problems in Q1 and Q2<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah, 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,\u201d Leclerc said after securing second place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cQ1 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Marina Bay Street Circuit places considerable demands on braking stability, with repeated heavy-braking zones and limited room for error near the barriers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite the problems, Leclerc managed to advance into Q3 and challenge Verstappen for pole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As GRANDE PR\u00caMIO reported in the complete Singapore qualifying results<\/a><\/strong>, Leclerc finished ahead of Hamilton, with Kimi Antonelli fourth and Lando Norris fifth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ferrari wing adjustment leaves Leclerc questioning final lap<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Leclerc also discussed Ferrari’s setup decisions after the team had experimented with different configurations during Friday’s running.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Monegasque explained that he had been relatively comfortable with the car before qualifying and had made only limited changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, I guess, yeah, on my side, I changed a little bit the car to make sure for the last five shootings,\u201d Leclerc said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was relatively happy with the car yesterday, so I changed a few things, not so much.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, he acknowledged that an adjustment to the wing during Q3 might not have been ideal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut, 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut I think if you ask all drivers on the grid, everybody can find something on that last lap in Q3.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The complete Singapore sprint results<\/a><\/strong> show Ferrari taking a double podium behind Verstappen, who also secured pole for Sunday’s Grand Prix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leclerc starts alongside Verstappen on Singapore front row<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Leclerc will start Sunday’s Grand Prix from second place, sharing the front row with Verstappen after narrowly missing pole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Ferrari driver has previously taken pole at Marina Bay, including in 2019 and 2022, but has yet to win the Singapore Grand Prix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hamilton will start third, giving Ferrari two cars immediately behind Verstappen and an opportunity to challenge Red Bull at the start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Verstappen, meanwhile, enters Sunday’s race after explaining how Red Bull’s 2026 car has become more competitive at Singapore<\/a><\/strong>, where the team had not taken Grand Prix pole since 2013.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The updated Singapore GP schedule, including Sunday’s race time<\/a><\/strong> is available in GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/strong>, which follows the latest Formula 1<\/a><\/strong> news throughout the Singapore GP weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- The Monegasque reported unusual braking behaviour throughout Q1 and Q2<\/strong>, with his car pulling to one side under braking.<\/li>\n\n\n\n