Charles Leclerc Reflects‌ on Singapore GP: “I Paid⁢ a⁣ High Price for My Mistake”

Following ⁣the Singapore F1⁢ Grand Prix, Ferrari’s Charles‌ Leclerc acknowledged‍ that his criticism of the tyres ⁤after qualifying was misplaced,⁤ and that he was to blame for not being able to do his‍ job as a driver, which cost him a “really high” price in the final.

During Q3 ⁣qualifying, Leclerc ⁢had his lap ⁤deleted due to track limits‍ at Turn 2, and ended up 9th with no‌ time. However, ⁣even if he ‌were not eliminated, he would still be 7th. Initially, Leclerc attributed the incident to the tyres, citing a lack of temperature as the cause.

Despite a ⁣challenging start to the​ race, Leclerc ultimately finished 5th after Sunday’s race, admitting his ⁣lack of results in Q3 was ⁢due to his own mistakes rather than a tyre problem.⁤ “I have mixed feelings,” Leclerc said,‍ reflecting on the outcome.

“We did a⁤ really good job⁤ today, and I don’t think we could have done anything else. It was frustrating at the beginning of the race because we couldn’t do anything and we just⁣ had to​ wait,​ but Nico​ [Hulkenberg] and Fernando ​ [Alonso] managed ​to push after ⁣stopping‌ in the pits.”

Leclerc’s pace was‍ good, and in the second stint after the‌ pit stop, he ran really strong ⁢and managed to move up to fifth. “I’m ⁢really happy‌ about‌ that,”⁢ he said. ⁣However, he also acknowledged that it was a ​bit of a disappointing weekend.

Looking back, Leclerc realized that his mistake in⁣ Q3‍ was the primary ‌cause of‌ his ⁢disappointing result. “I think it was more​ of‌ an ​issue that I locked up in Turn ⁤1 and went off the track, exceeding track limits. ‌So, now that I think ​about it, yesterday was probably my fault.”

If‌ he could ‍have⁢ put his laps together in Q3, Leclerc would ‍have been in contention for ‌the​ podium. The SF-24‍ had that ‌kind of pace on Sunday. “Sometimes you qualify well,⁣ and sometimes you make a mistake, especially when you only have one chance per lap. And⁣ you paid for that ⁣mistake,” Leclerc ⁤continued.

Leclerc is now looking forward to the next race, the American⁣ Grand Prix, where he hopes to recover from his mistake. “I⁣ didn’t do​ well yesterday, but I think I ⁤can recover in the next race,‌ because now I have a bit ‍of a break,” he said.

“I hope to do well in⁢ qualifying and the‍ race in Austin and have a​ good weekend overall.”

Singapore GP⁣ Results

Lando ​Norris won the Singapore GP with a landslide victory over Max Verstappen (Red Bull) by 20.945 seconds. Teammate Oscar Piastri⁣ took​ the podium in third ⁤place, giving McLaren another huge points haul.

The next race, the United​ States Grand Prix, will take place at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) and will begin​ with Free Practice 1 on October 18.