It has been a fantastic couple of weeks for Charles Leclerc and it seems they are not going to stop anytime soon. The Ferrari racer finished first in the qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix, and will be starting Sunday’s race in pole position. It was his third pole position in a row, and he is the absolute favorite to win the main race as well.
The Scuderia have had an impressive month or so, with Leclerc leading the way from the front. It was the Monaco resident’s fifth pole of the season, but it was highly unexpected as it was a track that was expected to suit the likes of Mercedes and Red Bull more. But some spectacular driving from Leclerc saw him dominate the proceedings and pocket the pole.
How did the qualifying go down?
It was Sebastian Vettel who looked like the favorite when the qualifying was in full flow. He had timed in an excellent 1min 36.457 sec on his first hot lap but an error on his second lap caused him to abort. He later said,” The final bit of Q3 wasn't great but sometimes that's the way it goes. "I was feeling good, so maybe I peaked a bit early, we had a tiny wobble and there was no point in finishing that lap. The final attempt should've been better but overall the car was making sense and feeling good.” The German came third in qualifying, just behind defending champion Lewis Hamilton.
Leclerc however, was on another level as compared to both Vettel and Hamilton. There are 23 corners on the Marina Bay which means precision driving is paramount there. He put his all out there on the track, beating Hamilton by 0.191 seconds. In the post-match press conference, Leclerc stated,” I'm extremely happy to be on pole. It was a very good lap, if you look at it, there were some moments when I thought I had lost control of the car. We had a very tough Friday, it was not my day, but I worked hard in the car and it paid off – this feels great.”
What to expect in the main race?
Leclerc is definitely on a good run and he is the odds-on bet to win, but it will not be easy. Both Mercedes and Red Bull have faster cars, but as Hamilton mentioned it was “surprising” to see the Ferrari machine doing so well. For F1’s young prince, however, nothing seems too far right now and he could well be on the topmost spot at the podium on Sunday, making it the first time Ferrari would have won 3 back-to-back-to-back races in 11 years.
More power to you, Leclerc!
