By Carlo Platella
The Singapore qualifying is the mirror of this World Championship, in a Formula 1 with such close gaps that any small variable can suddenly reshuffle the values on the field, dismantling every certainty. The fickleness of the track and the tyres reigns supreme in Asia, giving even more value to the pole position of Norris and McLarenwhich is far from obvious. Ferrari, decidedly convincing on Friday, first gets lost and then finds itself again in qualifying, only to waste everything. There is thus room for Verstappen to return to the top, who thanks the miraculous work of Red Bull during the night.
Roulette tires
As expected, the track on Saturday was over a second faster than on Friday, but the conditions were decidedly changeable. Initially, Ferrari suddenly found itself without grip in the final free practice sessions, but the conditions changed again in qualifying, when the drivers discovered a slower track despite the 4-5°C lower temperature on the asphalt. “There is no grip, it’s completely different from FP3. The tires are really different”, Russell exclaims in Q1, adding in Q3: “I don’t know where all the grip from free practice went.”
With the mix of asphalt, tyre pressures, compounds and aerodynamic configurations in Singapore, hitting the thin peak performance of the tyre is particularly difficult, with the optimum working point constantly changing. The differences in grip are not huge, but in a Formula 1 played on the edge of tenths Even 0.5% more can make a differenceAdd to this a track made up of an uninterrupted succession of curves, and even the slightest difference in tyre performance ends up being amplified during the lap.
Norris decisive
The decisive factors are the preparation of the tyre and the driving style. Charles Leclerc understands this already during the last free practice sessions, inviting the team via radio to concentrate on the driving sensations rather than getting lost in other aspects. The spectacle of the qualifying session benefits from this, giving much more emphasis to the human factor. Lando Norris stands out in this regard, with his third pole in four races. Throughout the weekend the Briton appears to be faster than Piastri, whose final time in Q3 is also 3 tenths slower than his Q2 lap.
Norris’ pole position, however, is anything but a foregone conclusion.Complicated lap, the car was difficult to drive”, the comment immediately after the checkered flag. Lando’s qualifying was not a very clean one, in fact, as in Q2 he was the protagonist of a sharp correction at the hairpin bend of turn 14. More than anyone else, however, Norris showed off a linear guide on the steering wheelwith the confidence to decisively attack the kerbs of the final chicane. It is further confirmation of a robust McLaren, unperturbed by external variables, capable of staying ahead for a long time even in a particularly changeable weekend.
The Return of Red Bull
“We have to do something drastic”. Helmut Marko spoke clearly after Friday’s free practice, anticipating the need for Red Bull to overturn the starting set-up. The initial difficulties of the world champions, however, are not due to the usual problems. It’s not the kerbs or the speed bumps that destabilize the RB20which Verstappen this time believes to be less problematic, although without attacking them with the same determination as Norris. The problem is not even the balance, on a track less difficult from this point of view considering, the curves similar to each other.
Red Bull’s difficulties in Singapore, if anything, lie in releasing sufficient mechanical grip from the tyres and suspension. The recovery during the night is nothing short of miraculousbecause already from FP3 it is clear that something has changed. “The car is running much better,” Verstappen says, whose radio instructions are different from usual. Finally it is no longer understeer that bothers the Dutchman, but the loss of the rear in the middle of the curve once the maximum steering angle is reached. Nothing that some corrections to the differential settings and engine delivery cannot solve.
The world champions then lend great attention to tire preparation. It is no coincidence that Verstappen and Perez are the first to go out for the second attempt in Q2, enjoying a clear track to best warm up the tires. In Q3, however, Verstappen risks seeing his preparation lap compromised, having to overtake Tsunoda first and then Russell, but still managing to claw back a very precious front row. Sergio Perez, on the other hand, is back in crisis, eliminated in Q2 with a car that continues to respond differently to the driving styles of the two Red Bull standard-bearers.
Ferrari Remorse
It had been an encouraging Friday for the Prancing Horse, with Leclerc on par with Norris and still dissatisfied with the harmony with his SF-24, with room therefore to improve further. Like Red Bull on Friday, however, in Saturday’s free practice Ferrari suddenly finds itself without grip and out of the ideal window, only to recover in time for qualifying. The result, however, was severely compromised by Sainz’s accident first and then by Leclerc’s error, which he said was caused by cold tyres.
“The tyres weren’t even 50% ready,” the outburst of the Monegasque, later implying that the temperature of the electric blankets was too low. The suspicion is therefore of a team error. and not a difficulty in preparing the tyre on the out lap. However, Vasseur denies this: “I think he started the tour with the right temperature.” The hypothesis is that Leclerc manages to warm up the front axle in time, but overheats the rear and arrives unbalanced at turn 1, until he makes the mistake.
The disappointment of the Monegasque is emblematic of a newfound feeling with the Reds after the difficulties of the last free practice sessions: “In Q3 we had the potential to finish first or second. There was just more risk to be taken.”. It is impossible to say how it would have gone. The only possible judgment is based on Q2, when Leclerc’s pace is in line with Verstappen’s. It is difficult to say whether the Monegasque has enough to get close to Norris, but the overall impression is that in Singapore Ferrari is no longer clearly the best car as it was in Baku.
Mercedes Relief
Another recovery in the running is that of the Silver Arrows, on Friday far from the optimal working window. “We’ve tried everything with the setup, but nothing seems to work,” Hamilton’s commentary after the first day. On Saturday chronic problems continue to manifest themselvesabove all the out-of-control rear end which, by sliding, causes the tyre temperatures to shoot up after a few corners. Also problematic is the last corner, the fastest on the track, which Russell defines as “limiting”.
Overall, however, the situation at Mercedes is significantly improved from Fridayalso benefiting from the strong evolution of the track. Hamilton’s 3 tenths of a delay from Norris is not a small amount, but it still allows him to capitalize on the mistakes of the Ferrari drivers and Oscar Piastri. Overtaking in a race remains prohibitive, but Singapore is no stranger to providing unexpected opportunities, pushing Mercedes to believe in an important result after a period of difficulty.
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