Leclerc expects INCONSISTENT Ferrari at Singapore

Charles Leclerc has said that the Singapore Grand Prix may prove to be a difficult race for the Ferrari team.

Following a strong Italian GP last time out, where the team managed to bring the cars home in third and fourth, Ferrari will be looking to once again get on the podium at a track where qualifying position is vital.

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They have proved throughout this season that they have great one-lap pace and Leclerc himself has achieved two pole positions in 2023.

Despite this, Leclerc thinks that the car will struggle around the Marina Bay circuit, one of the longest and physically demanding races on the Formula 1 calendar.

“As you know, I love street circuits and this is undoubtedly one of my favourites,” he told the media before the weekend.

“But its characteristics will probably not suit our car that well, because in the past it has performed inconsistently on high downforce tracks.

“Better to keep our feet on the ground, see how free practice goes and then we will have a clearer understanding.”

Ferrari's strong history at Singapore

Ferrari have enjoyed themselves in recent years at the Singapore GP.

They have won two of the last seven events held at the Marina Bay circuit, and have also managed multiple podium finishes, including last year when Leclerc and his team-mate Carlos Sainz finished second and third respectively.

There will be belief that, if they can find themselves ahead of Max Verstappen's Red Bull as they did at Monza, they will have more chance to defend from the Dutchman at a track that is notoriously difficult for overtaking.

When Sainz managed to keep Verstappen behind him for the first 14 laps at the Italian GP, it was the most amount of laps any non-Red Bull driver had led in the whole of 2023, demonstrating quite how dominant the RB19 has been.

Leclerc is expecting a close race on Sunday, particularly in the battle behind Red Bull.

“I think that in qualifying, the driver can make a difference,” continued Charles.

“Whereas when it comes to the race, it’s more a question of the overall execution from the team. I expect that, between the next five teams in the classification behind Red Bull, the gaps will be very small both on Saturday and on Sunday and it will be particularly important to prepare everything down to the smallest detail."

READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Verstappen setup quirk which allows Red Bull to make car even fasters

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