Charles Leclerc cut a sombre figure under the neon haze of Singapore on Saturday night – a traditionally strong performer around Marina Bay now left searching for answers amid Ferrari’s deepening malaise.
Seventh on the grid, nearly half a second off pole, and outqualified by his own teammate, Leclerc’s underperformance told a story that has become all too familiar: the Scuderia is adrift, and the tide is pulling fast.
For Leclerc, the weekend had begun with flickers of hope. He was second-fastest in Friday’s opening practice, the kind of start that once promised more in Singapore. But as the sessions unfolded, that optimism drained away.
A Promising Start Fades Fast
"We got off to a good start in FP1," Leclerc told French broadcaster Canal+. "Then we had to make some tweaks, and unfortunately we’ve been struggling since FP2 – especially me, I must say, as I was nowhere in FP2 and FP3."
The Monegasque admitted he’s been fighting not just the track, but the car itself.
"I’ve been completely unable to feel the car over the last two weekends, and what’s weird is that has been on street circuits where I typically am rather confident.
We need to work and understand what’s wrong, because I’m not at the level where I should be and we’re losing points."
That final phrase hung heavy in the air. For a driver who once seemed destined to dominate city circuits, the current slump is more than a bad run; it’s a warning sign.
“Very, very tough weekend”
Leclerc’s frustration was compounded by being outqualified by Lewis Hamilton, whom he graciously described as “impeccable.” But the problem, Leclerc insisted, isn’t just about one-lap pace – it’s about a car that refuses to cooperate.
"I have a lot of understeer on the car, but the car is still very snappy and unpredictable, and I know that it's not my strength whenever there's understeer in the car," he explained to Sky Sports F1.
"This weekend [it] has been the case from FP2 to qualifying, and we don't really find any ways out without making the car even more unpredictable, which is not what you want on a city track, so it's been a very, very tough weekend."
His struggles echo those in Baku, another track where he once reigned supreme but recently stumbled – crashing out in qualifying and finishing a distant ninth.
“We are not anywhere close”
When asked if Ferrari’s decline might be specific to street circuits, Leclerc hesitated.
"I hope it's circuit-specific, but for now I don't quite have the explanation, because it's not like we changed massively the car in the last two races,” he explained.
A Dimming Horizon
Leclerc admitted he had been eyeing Singapore — and later Las Vegas — as potential redemption races. Now, that hope is fading.
"Maybe Las Vegas," he said quietly, "but I’m less hopeful now."
Then came the most sobering assessment yet: "We are not anywhere close to being on the level of McLaren, Red Bull and actually now Mercedes – on some occasions, and actually quite recently, they've just been a step [ahead]."
If Sunday’s race finishes as the grid stands, Ferrari’s deficit to Mercedes in the Constructors’ battle could balloon from four points to twenty-seven, with Red Bull lurking just a few points behind.
For Leclerc, the cold truth is unavoidable: Ferrari is slipping further into the shadows of its rivals. And under the harsh glare of Marina Bay’s floodlights, even the Scuderia’s brightest star could not mask the darkness creeping in.
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