Charles Leclerc calls for Ferrari enhancements following a frustrating Singapore GP.

Scuderia Ferrari challenged Red Bull Racing to the fullest beneath the Marina Bay lights, yet Charles Leclerc ultimately had to accept a second-place finish at the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix.

After a strong start from the front row next to polesitter Max Verstappen, Leclerc maintained intense pressure during the early laps. However, significant tyre wear and a bold, differing pit strategy during a mid-race safety car led to the Monegasque driver running out of grip in the final laps, finishing just behind his Red Bull competitor while managing to fend off Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli in third.

The bold safety car strategy

In an interview with Jenson Button immediately after exiting the car, Leclerc detailed how a promising start devolved into a challenging tyre management situation.

"Yeah, we had a strong start to the race, then we began to degrade a bit more during the first stint, but we opted for a slightly different strategy than Max during the safety car," Leclerc elaborated.

Instead of settling into a pace behind Verstappen during the restart, Leclerc took risks by attacking right away, hoping that track position or an early undercut would induce a mistake from the Red Bull.

"I believed in it until the very end, but I pushed hard at the beginning of that last stint and then degraded a bit more than the others," Leclerc acknowledged. "But yes, I gave it everything, and I have no regrets. I don’t think there was much more I could have done today, apart from maybe being a bit more aggressive at the start. That’s how it goes."