Charles Leclerc still has a mathematical chance of preventing his rival for the title, Max Verstappen, from becoming world champion. But realistically, the Dutchman will most likely take his second crown at next weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.
However, rather than feel that the remainder of the campaign is a futile effort seeing that the championship is lost, the Monegasque hopes that the latest rounds will be opportunities for Ferrari to make progress in the areas where it has been weakest in 2022.
In particular, he believes his bosses at Maranello can take advantage of making sure strategies are perfect, something they have repeatedly failed to do in Formula 1’s new era of ground effect single-seaters.
So despite being disappointed to miss out on victory at the Singapore Grand Prix, he was glad the Prancing Horse crew had timed their pit stop.
“I want to use these last few races to get us better at executing the race, and I especially feel like we’ve made a step forward this weekend,” he said. “We have to take more steps, but we are going in the right direction, and in that I am happy, but frustrated with second place.”
Ferrari director Mattia Binotto considered that the Italian team had done a great job on the Singapore wall by trying to be aggressive with race leader Sergio Pérez: “I think we made the right decisions.”
“We were among the first to mount the slicks at a time when the track was not perfectly dry, and with that choice we forced Perez to stop. By doing so, we tried to change what could have been the fate of the race,” he said. the swiss.
With Leclerc in second position and Carlos Sainz in third, it is the first time that those from Maranello have managed to get on the podium with their two single-seaters since the Miami Grand Prix in May. The Spanish driver considered that the team had learned a lot from the mistakes made in 2022, and that this could make them stronger if they are applied in the coming weeks for the next course.
“It’s good news to see that the race has been executed well by both sides,” said the Spaniard. “There are still things that I am convinced that we have to continue improving, but the team is taking giant steps.”
“We are learning from every situation, and as Charles [Leclerc] has said, these last five races, or six counting this one [Singapore], are going to serve as great preparation for us to be better next year,” said Sainz.
“It is clear that the car is there, the pilots, too. We just have to continue improving the execution, and whenever we have the opportunities, nail them,” said the Rampant Cavallino from Madrid.
Do you want to read our news before anyone else and for free? Follow us here on our Telegram channel and you won’t miss a thing. All the information, at your fingertips!
