F1 | Ferrari pays the price for its mistakes, but it would have been competitive

The price to pay for the mistakes made on Saturday arrived, punctually, twenty-four hours later. Marina Bay, like many street circuits, does not give discounts, starting in the middle of the grid means having to face an uphill race, and that is what Leclerc and Sainz had to do for sixty-two laps.

Charles’ fifth place and Carlos’ seventh were the best possible, and in this light the timid smiles seen at the end of the race can also be explained. The final verdict allowed the Scuderia to limit the damage, the sixteen points are obviously better than nothing and were not a given before the start, but rewinding the tape and returning to the eve of the weekend, it is not the loot that the team was expecting.

Marina Bay was one of the tracks listed under “friendly”, a track on which Ferrari was aiming for the maximum objective. However, two bad news arrived that drastically reduced the target: the errors in qualifying by Sainz and Leclerc, and the potential of the McLaren-Norris tandem. It is realistic to think that if Saturday night had been free of unexpected events, Ferrari could have put its cars on the first and second row, but it is difficult to imagine Leclerc or Sainz ahead of Norris.

Red Bull was (in this case, yes) a within reach, a double podium was within Ferrari’s potential, but on the other hand it must also be considered that McLaren is complaining about the absence of Oscar Piastri from the front row.

Beyond the suppositions, the reality is very clear, Ferrari has dropped off the podium (for the first time after the summer break) on a track that marries well with the characteristics of the SF-24. The potential of the single-seater emerged in the second stint of the race, when with hard tyres (and a good strategy) Leclerc was able to get on Norris’s times, overtaking Hamilton and catching up with Russell.
“We were in better shape on Friday than the fifth and seventh positions we achieved today,” admitted Frederic Vasseur, “so it means we left something behind during the weekend. When you start the race in Singapore in ninth and tenth position you know that something went wrong, and the result of the weekend is not what we expected.”

“Having said that,” Vasseur continued, “the work done in the race was good, the pace was competitive. Charles had a good start, Carlos a little less so, but then with the right management of the race they both recovered.”

Leclerc (who at the end of the race retracted a bit the statements he made yesterday after qualifying) found a positive expression. “We maximized our potential,” he explained. “The first stint was long and a bit frustrating, it required a lot of patience to stay calm behind the slower cars in front of me. In the second stint things went better, we had a really good pace with a clean track. I pushed a lot but unfortunately towards the end of the race, when it would have been time to attack George, my rear tyres were no longer in the best condition and we were unable to gain that position. Overall, it was not the most satisfying weekend for us, but as a team we can be proud of having turned things around today in the race and of the fifth position we brought home.”

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Now there are three weeks for the important trip to Austin, where Ferrari will test for the first time the functioning of the ‘Monza’ package on the fast corners. There will also be new developments on the two cars, which at this point in the season will be crucial to understand what Leclerc and Sainz can aspire to.
“I think it will be the last update for everyone,” Vasseur explained. “The teams have already started the development of next year’s car, but we try to do our best to have small updates for the next race. In such a tight grid like the current one, even the smallest detail becomes important and can make the difference.”

Over the Singapore weekend, Ferrari conceded three points to Red Bull in the Constructors’ standings. The gap between the two teams (34 points) makes second place a possible objective for the Scuderia, as well as other stage wins that would serve to close on a positive note a season lived with ups and downs. Playing with Red Bull today seems a possible objective, to annoy McLaren something more will be needed, which is what Ferrari hopes to find in Austin.