Ferrari endured a frustrating Singapore Grand Prix weekend as persistent brake overheating issues limited the potential of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, who could only manage sixth and eighth at the finish. Team Principal Fred Vasseur conceded that the team failed to unlock the car’s true performance despite early promise.
Both drivers were dealing with high brake temperatures almost immediately, forcing the team into damage-control mode.
“Very early in the race we asked Charles to do a lift and coast,” Vasseur explained. “It’s not just a matter of doing a lift and coast when you’re losing a little bit at the end of the straight. It’s also to find the right braking point.
“In all the races that we were a bit more, a bit less, a bit more, a bit less, a bit more on the rear, a bit more on the front. You had to change the brake balance. At the end, you lose probably more on the reference for you when you are driving the car than on the pure potential.”
Promising Start Fades After Qualifying Setback
Once again, Ferrari showed encouraging pace during Friday practice sessions but fell short when it mattered most in qualifying. Starting from P6 and P7, both drivers had an uphill battle in the race, with braking problems compounding their challenge.
“What is mega frustrating is that the last two weekends we came in… Baku and then Singapore. At the beginning of the weekend, the pace was there,” said Vasseur.
“We didn’t extract the best from the car, I think, honestly. We are doing 29.7s in Q1 yesterday and 29.7s in Q3. We are struggling at the end of all the races not to be at the back foot.
“For the team, it’s mega frustrating. The team and drivers are for all of us, because we are not pushing [because of the brakes]. At the end of the day, we are putting so much effort to be there, that when you have to do all the races on the backfoot, it’s not good.”
Hamilton’s Late Charge Overshadowed by Brake Issues
Lewis Hamilton made a final pit stop for fresh soft tyres and briefly showed impressive speed, setting the fastest lap of the race while chasing down Antonelli for fifth. However, his run was interrupted by worsening brake problems in the closing stages.
“It’s a fake fastest lap for me. We are not in the same situation. What I can say is that when he was pushing, the pace was there,” added Vasseur.
“The gap with the cars in front of him was coherent with the delta that you have on the tyres. But nothing more than this. It’s also frustrating for us, because we had the feeling that when we did three laps in a row without saving, that the pace was not bad.”
Focus Shifts to Next Race
The Marina Bay weekend underlined Ferrari’s ongoing struggle to convert practice pace into race-day results. The team now faces the task of resolving its braking issues and improving qualifying execution to fully exploit the car’s potential in upcoming races.
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