Following an incredibly intense qualifying session under the floodlights of the Marina Bay Street Circuit, Scuderia Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton will start Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix from the second row of the grid. While Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen successfully secured pole position—edging out Charles Leclerc by a mere 0.054 seconds – Hamilton followed closely in third, just 0.123s off the ultimate pace.
Despite the strong starting position, the seven-time world champion was visibly frustrated by his final flying laps during the Q3 shootout.
The knife-edge setup
Speaking with F1 broadcaster Jolyon Palmer immediately after the session, Hamilton detailed exactly how a sudden lack of rear grip derailed his shot at a front-row start. While the SF-26 felt incredibly dialled in during the earlier segments of qualifying, track evolution ultimately pushed the car completely out of its ideal operating window.
“Yeah, another difficult Q3. Congrats to Max and he did a great job,” Hamilton admitted. “We made some changes going into qualifying. The car was feeling so much better, and I really felt like she had more in her.”
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: Rudy Carezzevoli / Getty Images
However, as the track gripped up, the rear of the Ferrari became incredibly unpredictable.
“Q1 and Q2 were awesome. We got to Q3 and snaps into one and three, put me two tenths down. The rest of the lap was good. And then the last lap, just again struggled with snapping,” Hamilton explained. “So I think there’s a real fine line with our car where it’s over the edge or under the limit, and finding that sweet spot is very, very difficult.”
Plotting the Red Bull ambush
Despite the set-up frustrations, Scuderia Ferrari is in a prime tactical position to challenge Red Bull Racing for the race victory. Because Verstappen’s team-mate, Isack Hadjar, suffered mechanical issues in Q3 and was unable to set a lap time, the Maranello squad possesses a massive two-versus-one strategic advantage at the very front of the pack.
Hamilton explicitly plans to use that numerical superiority to hunt down the polesitter.
“I think it’s really still a good result for us to have two Ferraris up there. We could definitely, hopefully, work as a team tomorrow to try and hold on to Max and put them under pressure,” Hamilton revealed. “I’m sure he’s going to be fast, but hopefully together as a team, we can potentially, who knows, we’ll see if we can get ahead of them.”
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images
However, Hamilton is under no illusions regarding the sheer pace of the Red Bull machinery. He noted that its rival engineering department has made massive aerodynamic strides in recent weeks.
“Red Bull have done a fantastic job. You know, they’ve done a great job with their engine, but I think also with their car,” Hamilton concluded. “It’s obviously a great team, and I think they brought back an upgrade in Baku, which has really put them at the front.”
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