Charles Leclerc has conceded that he “paid the price” in the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix for the qualifying setback which spoiled his and Ferrari‘s race prospects.
Ferrari seemed right in contention to win in Singapore as Leclerc, a renowned street circuit specialist, matched Lando Norris‘ McLaren in the second practice session.
However, the marque’s hopes unravelled once the all-important Q3 session that determines the grid arrived as Carlos Sainz crashed while Leclerc propped up in ninth.
Leclerc’s one attempt was deleted as he exceeded track limits at Turn 2, with the Ferrari driver incensed that low tyre temperatures had compromised his endeavours.
READ MORE: Charles Leclerc rues Ferrari ‘throwing everything in the bin’ in F1 Singapore GP qualifying
The Monegasque recovered well in the race to cross the line in fifth, though his blistering charge in the second stint forced him to contemplate what might have been.
But while he demanded an investigation into the problem that resigned him to starting in an unrepresentative position, Leclerc has admitted he could have done more.
“We just paid a little bit the price of a bad quali yesterday,” Leclerc told media including Motorsport Week.
“And actually I would also like to come back on the things I said yesterday. I obviously said the tyres were not in the right window, which they weren’t.
“But looking back at it, there’s been plenty of times where you have the tyres a bit out of the window and you still have to do the job as a driver.
“And eventually I didn’t do the job as a driver yesterday. So I think the blame was more on my side yesterday in quali to not put a lap in, and today I paid the price of that.”
Leclerc recalls ‘nightmare’ opening stint
Leclerc dispatched a slow-starting Yuki Tsunoda at the outset, but his opening stint was spent behind Nico Hulkenberg‘s Haas and Fernando Alonso‘s Aston Martin.
The seven-time F1 race winner struggled to make inroads on the slower cars ahead as overtaking continued to prove tough in Singapore despite an extra DRS zone.
But Leclerc was able to unleash his raw pace once the cars ahead pitted and he then mounted a late push on new rubber to pass Alonso, Sainz and Lewis Hamilton.
Asked whether he relished coming back through the field in the 62-lap encounter, Leclerc replied: “Yeah, I did from the end of the first stint to the last laps. I loved it.
“The first 25 laps were a nightmare, because I was just a sitting duck behind Fernando and Nico, and I was just hoping that they had to box very soon because I was behind.
“But that never really happened, and they went very long and so I had to just wait.
“But overall, it’s been a good race from that moment onwards. As soon as they pitted, we maximised our points.”
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