The Marina Bay Circuit is known for being a difficult circuit to navigate. Street circuits haven’t always been the easiest with the racks continuously getting smaller and the cars getting larger, however, Ferrari usually does well at them.
Most Formula 1 fans are on the edge of their seats the entire race weekend because they know something good is going to happen. The weather is unpredictable, the track is hot and tyre management is a tricky thing to navigate.
All of these factors build up to the very good possibility of a crash. Since 2008, the Singapore Grand Prix has never had all 20 drivers finish the race. There has always been a wreck/red flag during the actual race. So far this weekend the crashes have been a one-man show. How many laps until that changes?
Carlos Sainz crashes out, shocking results from Charles Leclerc
After last week’s collision with Sergio Perez, Carlos Sainz was geared up to get back out and race. As last year’s winner, Sainz knows he has what it takes to dominate the charts. So why did he end up 10th? At the beginning of Q3, he crashed into a wall. Luckily he was not injured and the car had minimal damage (compared to Lance Stroll’s car last year).
Sainz was going slower when he spun out and crashed into the wall while slowing down for Oscar Piastri. Because of this, his damage was very limited and not as detrimental as it could have been. From what we know, he will still be able to race tomorrow. After Sainz went into the wall, the session received a double yellow flag and then shortly after, a red flag stopped it.
Carlos Sainz goes crashing out of Q3 💥😵#F1 #SingaporeGP pic.twitter.com/MQFKB6GrXU
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 21, 2024
Sainz’s teammate, Charles Leclerc did not fare any better. After three strong practice sessions and a seemingly good Q1 and Q2, it comes as a surprise that Leclerc finds himself starting in P9 tomorrow. Leclerc did not get to set a time in Q3 at all considering the red flag from Sainz’s crash.
After the session restarted, Lerclerc was only able to get in one lap. However, that lap time was deleted. The FIA said that he “did not use the track at turn 2” and thus his lap time was deleted. Had his lap time been kept, he would have started 7th.
Where did Ferrari’s pace go?
Up until Q3, Ferrari was doing very well. Their times were up at the top, their tyres seemed planned out and their drivers were happy. How did they go from top form to bottom set? Both Ferrari’s will start from the 5th row at 9th and 10th. One big change between the last two races could be the change from low-downforce to high-downforce.
We’re in for a wet weekend at the Marina Bay Street Circuit as rain is expected to torment the drivers during the Singapore GP!#F1 #SingaporeGP pic.twitter.com/3tqDhTekxJ
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) September 20, 2024
Monza and Baku are circuits with long straights and minimal corners. Marina Bay is a circuit with short straights and more corners. With Ferrari’s mechanical history, it is possible they were able to get the set-up for the Italian and Azerbaijan GPs right – only to mess up right before Singapore?
Would Leclerc have placed higher if Sainz had not crashed? Or is there another issue going on here? Is Ferrari repeating history or will we see a comeback from the drivers?
After last years success in Singapore I expected better!!
I had high hopes from this race!! Hopefully next year would be better.