Leclerc on pole in front of Perez Red Bull makes a mistake with petrol

Ferrari takes advantage of the error of the Australians and starts in the lead

The analysis

They are wrong too. Red Bull, which less than a month ago was giggling about the lost rubber in the Ferrari pits in the Netherlands, sent a driver who did not have enough gasoline to the track. And she noticed it two corners from a probable pole position of Max Verstappen, who was about to scream with joy and instead screamed his anger covered with beeps over the radio.

The heat of Singapore or, who knows, the serenity lost due to the crazy spending scandal, have brought down the lucidity. Charles Leclerc took advantage of this to score the ninth pole position of the season, eleventh for Ferrari (as many as in 2001 dominated by Schumacher), the second in a row at this circuit. Waiting.

Let’s start with the mistake: Red Bull asked its driver to slow down in the middle of the penultimate lap (which could already be worth the pole), in order to recharge the batteries for the final attempt. But in the last few meters the engineers realized that the fuel would not be enough to bring the driver back to the pits and to save a kilo of petrol in the tank for technical checks. «We should have noticed earlier, while I’m driving I don’t know how much fuel I have – continued the World Championship leader -. It is an unacceptable mistake, as are mine ». The engineers managed at the last minute to avoid the worst, the deep relegation, moreover in a circuit where it is difficult to overtake. The pilot confirms the negative predictions: «It will be a frustrating race».

Flashes of serenity return to Ferrari. The Singapore GP had left a good memory: we were in 2019 and the Reds were running fast: it ended with the Vettel-Leclerc double, then twice the appointment was canceled from the Formula 1 calendar due to a pandemic. Expectations today are the same as they were then. Sergio Perez will start alongside Leclerc with the other Red Bull, in the second row Lewis Hamilton in Mercedes and Carlos Sainz with Red number 55. All four are enclosed in 171 thousandths, a flap of wings in a circuit of almost 2 minutes per ride.

«Qualifying was complicated, first with intermediate tires, then with the soft ones in Q3 with the track still wet – commented Leclerc -. I made a mistake in the last attempt, but it went well anyway ». Except for upheavals, such as a tropical storm during the race, Verstappen will not take advantage of the first match point: he should win and hope that Leclerc does not go beyond the ninth place, which is difficult. In a week in China he will enjoy a more favorable situation. But his splendid race towards the second consecutive title clashes with the doubt that his team has spent more than allowed to give him an impregnable car.

There is talk of figures that fluctuate around 10 million. Mattia Binotto does not mention names, but he gives the numbers of the affair: «Four million for us represent the production of the development pieces for an entire season. Translated into performance they are half a second per turn ». That’s the difference between Red Bull and Ferrari. –

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