Charles Leclerc explains why he felt there was more on the table after the F1 Singapore GP qualifying
Charles Leclerc qualified P2 at the 2026 Singapore GP qualifying, just half a tenth away from Max Verstappen’s pole position lap time. During the post-qualifying interview, the Ferrari driver detailed that the SF26 had the pace to take the pole position.
Lewis Hamilton finished Q2 in P1 and was the favorite to take pole position. The Ferrari looked to have the pace, but it fell apart for the Briton in Q3, where the car seemed to be a handful.
Charles Leclerc, however, had a subpar Q1 and Q2, as he explained during the post-race interview how the braking wasn’t up to the mark. The Monegasque then explained how, despite the braking gremlins, he committed to fully pushing in Q3 and managed to grab a front-row starting position.
Speaking during the post-qualifying interview, Leclerc said,
“Let’s say that the good lap was on the right lap at the end, but I had a lot of struggles during this qualifying. Q1 and Q2 were very difficult. I had some weird things going on with the brakes, the car pulling a bit under braking, which is not so nice on a track like here. But then in Q3, the lap was OK. I did some mistakes. I think there was a potential to be on pole today, but Max just did a better job.”
Max Verstappen failed to improve on his final Q3 run as the Dutchman had issues with the downshifts. Had Lewis Hamilton been able to put a clean lap together, the pole position was on the table for him. Charles Leclerc’s brake issue also held him back from extracting the full performance from the SF26.
Charles Leclerc confident in Ferrari’s long run pace at Singapore GP
Charles Leclerc finished the Singapore GP sprint in P3 behind Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. During the post-race press conference, the Ferrari driver detailed his confidence in SF26’s long-run pace, as he said,
“Long run pace should be fine. I think in FP1 we didn’t do many consecutive laps, but the few we did, the feeling was great. So yeah, confident that we shall be on the pace. The start will be very important. This morning we didn’t have a great start, so we’ll have to make the perfect start tomorrow.”
Lewis Hamilton had a great start off the line in the sprint, overtaking three cars and getting up to P3. Leclerc had a subpar start, but managed to pull away from the McLaren duo behind him. Towards the end of the race, the Monegasque struggled with the tires, and the McLarens caught up with him. However, Piastri and Norris crashed on the last lap, confirming a P3 finish for Leclerc.
Read More: 2026 F1 Singapore GP Qualifying Full Result: Starting Grid for the race on Sunday
