How Hamilton "pushed it too far" with a setup adjustment in Singapore GP qualifying

However, Hamilton then opted for a front-wing adjustment, increasing the angle on the front-right flap, which unexpectedly shifted the car's balance. Although he improved his time in Q3, it was only a slight enhancement, while both Leclerc and Verstappen found greater gains. Some of this can be attributed to the evolving track conditions as the session progressed.

"I think it's simply about balance," Hamilton reflected post-qualifying.

"The car felt solid. My team, the engineers, did an outstanding job, along with the mechanics between sessions.

"I felt the car was phenomenal in Q1 and Q2. When I completed my laps, I was thinking, 'There's more potential in her.'

"The only way to unlock that was by adding wing. But in doing so, I think it just pushed it over the edge.

"It was just one adjustment or something similar. But it felt like it was on a knife-edge. After that, the car became snappy, and none of my laps in Q3 were optimal.

"So, honestly, I'm thankful to be in third, given that those laps weren't very strong."

The Ferraris qualified second and third, but felt they could have done better

The notion that the setup change rendered the Ferrari slightly too 'on the nose' was supported by Hamilton needing to correct significant snaps of oversteer at Turn 3 on both of his Q3 laps, and then having to wrestle with the steering wheel through the final chicane.

"There's a very delicate balance with our car where it can be either over the limit or under it, and finding that sweet spot is extremely challenging," Hamilton stated.

"I likely had it in the first two sessions, but you must consider the track's evolution, the increasing grip. So you have to adapt based on hindsight."

Track evolution is always a key element at street circuits like Singapore, which are not utilized for racing during the rest of the year. The surface gains more grip as rubber is laid down throughout each session, which can mislead teams and drivers regarding the effectiveness of their setups, making it hard to differentiate how much improvement is due to setup changes versus the track becoming more grippy.

Leclerc shared that he simply had difficulties in putting together a clean lap until the very end.

"I made some mistakes," he acknowledged.

"And I believe there was a chance to secure pole today, but Max just executed better."