Leclerc pinpoints key failing in Singapore ‘missed opportunity’

Charles Leclerc has signalled the Singapore Grand Prix was a missed opportunity for Ferrari after enduring a difficult qualifying session.

Leclerc had his fastest Q3 time deleted which saw him start the race from ninth, one position ahead of team-mate Carlos Sainz who crashed out of Q3.

Ferrari was able to progress forward in the race with Leclerc taking fifth while Sainz crossed the line in seventh.

However, the Italian squad lost crucial points to championship leaders McLaren with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri ending the race in first and third respectively.

When asked if Singapore was a missed opportunity for Ferrari, Leclerc told media including RacingNews365: “I would say yes. 

“But looking back at the pace of the McLaren, and of Max, I’m not sure how many points have we missed today.

“George definitely, I think we had the car in order to finish in front. 

“I didn’t check again the pace of everybody, but what I’ve heard about Lando’s pace, I don’t think we quite had that in the car, and I don’t know where the others were behind him.”

Leclerc highlighted he would have been able to enjoy a better race had mistakes not been made during qualifying.

“A few points lost,” he said. “I think it was a good recovery. But again, we paid the price of price of a bad qualifying. 

“It will happen that I do mistakes on the Saturday, and I’ll have good qualifying also sometimes. But today I paid a little bit of a bad Saturday.”