Hamilton wants Ferrari to take the initiative in Singapore, while Leclerc warns that the team’s recent performance relative to its rivals remains under pressure. Their assessments on media day, October 8, point to the same test: Marina Bay’s sequence of corners may suit the car better, but turning the Sepang podium into a chance of victory will require stronger performance on track.
Cornering performance gives Hamilton reason for hope
Hamilton finished third at the previous round at Sepang. In an interview with F1’s official website, he said the team had just had a good race and hoped to build on it with further improvements, although that did not yet mean it had regained the momentum to fight for wins. In that race, a tyre-strategy mistake in the wet opening conditions dropped him towards the back, before he fought his way back onto the podium.
His hope that the circuit will suit the car comes from his recent experience behind the wheel: Ferrari has been quick through corners, but its straight-line speed has been less satisfactory. Singapore requires relatively high downforce and has fewer long straights. Hamilton hopes that will reduce the advantage other teams enjoy on long straights and allow Ferrari to try to close on its rivals through the corners.
Hamilton said he had consistently pushed for the car to develop in a particular direction and believed the team was gradually seeing benefits. For Singapore, he placed particular emphasis on qualifying performance. The Sprint format reduces preparation time, so the team needs to find the right operating window from the start of practice.
Leclerc focuses on the recent gap to Ferrari’s rivals
Leclerc said Ferrari had been strong in Singapore in the past, but could not rely on that history. The team had recently been losing some performance relative to the rivals ahead, making a challenge for victory very difficult. F1’s official report also noted that McLaren and Red Bull had recently taken over the position Ferrari previously occupied as the teams closest in pursuit of Mercedes.
INKA SPORTS analysis: why cornering gains still need to become speed over a full lap
Hamilton and Leclerc are looking at two aspects of the same contest. Hamilton hopes the circuit will reduce Ferrari’s weakness, while Leclerc draws attention to its rivals’ recent progress. Losing less time on the straights can close part of the gap, but to fight for victory Ferrari also needs to approach the fastest rivals’ speed through corners and over a complete lap. How those rivals perform through Marina Bay’s corners will also determine the final gap.
Third place at Sepang demonstrated Hamilton’s ability to recover from an unfavourable start, but the result was also shaped by tyre choices and the way the race unfolded. Qualifying in Singapore offers another way to assess Ferrari: whether it can set a lap close to the front under comparable tyre and track conditions, then carry that speed into the race.
Conclusion
Ferrari’s ability to fight for victory will depend first on whether its cornering gains can put it near the front in qualifying. If they cannot, the smaller number of long straights will merely reduce its weakness, rather than automatically change the competitive order.
