Charles Leclerc blames his poor getaway as the explanation for him spending the Singapore Grand Prix observing Sergio Perez’ exhaust pipe.
Ranging from pole, the Monegasque misplaced out to his Mexican rival earlier than Flip 1, and regardless of his greatest efforts was by no means in a position to overhaul the Purple Bull.
“The beginning wasn’t ok however then it was a very tough race for us to overhaul,” he admitted. “We are going to look into the beginning as a result of that’s the place we kind of misplaced the race. However it’s a part of the sport.”
Although he was in a position to keep a gradual hole to the race chief, and trying to profit when DRS was lastly activated late within the race, the Ferrari driver was by no means in a position to make a transfer that caught.
Certainly, as his staff noticed salvation within the type of a post-race penalty for Perez following a Security Automotive infringement, the Mexican was in a position to lengthen his lead in a bid to cowl the potential 5s time penalty.
“I used to be fairly stunned as a result of, as quickly as I misplaced the DRS, I believe it was precisely on the time when Checo’s tyres began to work correctly,” stated Leclerc. “Sadly, then I misplaced it a bit of bit.
“Earlier than that, every thing was actually on the restrict. I imply, within the soiled air, in circumstances like this, the slightest mistake, you pay it huge time. So I did a couple of errors.
“I used to be simply making an attempt to be as shut as attainable as a result of I needed to make mainly the overtaking on the straight. I could not actually go on the braking zone and brake later as a result of I did not actually understand how was the observe, on the within. And I did not wish to take that danger.
“I had one lap the place I used to be actually shut, and I truly thought of going within the inside and braking later. However for me, it was not value it. So I used to be simply ready for the appropriate alternative. However sadly it did not arrive on the finish.
“There’s issues that we will analyse from this race as a result of Purple Bull appears to be very, superb after six-seven laps, and we’re very, superb within the first six-seven laps, so we’ll look into that.
“I used to be pushing till the hole was like 1.5s, however then after I knew it was 5.1s I simply sort of introduced the automobile residence, so the tempo wasn’t that consultant on the finish. Having stated that, I pushed fairly a bit at first of the stint and possibly my tyres have been additionally a bit of overheated on the finish.”
“I believe general the automobile was working nicely on the moist, on the dry, yesterday in qualifying and at the moment within the race,” stated staff boss, Mattia Binotto. “We had been quick on dry once we switched to slicks. We had been courageous to be the primary switching to slicks.
“We went nicely on the wets and on the dries,” he added, “and I believe that is probably the most constructive of the weekend.”
Requested concerning the begin, he stated: “I believe the beginning was not nice. We misplaced place and that has affected the remainder of the race. So had we had a greater begin, I believe we’d get a greater end result.
“Charles had a great response time,” he added. “He went nicely by way of procedures however afterward, he had an excessive amount of wheelspin as a result of there was too little grip. However we’ll evaluate it as that affected the remainder of the race.”
Try our Sunday gallery from Singapore here.
