The 2025 Singapore Grand Prix unfolded under the electric glow of Marina Bay’s floodlights, offering thrills, heartbreaks and a telling snapshot of where Charles Leclerc and Ferrari stand in this season’s pecking order. Our focus is on how Charles Leclerc fared, the problems he encountered, and what that might mean going forward.
The Stage: Heat, Humidity, and a “Heat Hazard”
In a first for the sport, the FIA declared Singapore a “Heat Hazard” event, mandating stricter cooling rules and extra safeguards for drivers battling punishing humidity and soaring track temperatures.
That context mattered: even before the race began, teams were scrambling to manage thermal loads, not just in engines and tyres, but in the cockpit itself.
Practice Woes & Pit-Lane Incident
From early on, Leclerc’s weekend was far from smooth. In FP2, he was involved in a pit-lane collision with McLaren’s Lando Norris. Leclerc later stated he hadn’t received a stop message from his team, and Ferrari was fined for an unsafe release.
That pit blunder was emblematic of a Ferrari struggling with internal communication and consistency under pressure.
Qualifying: Car Unpredictability Costs Leclerc
Come Saturday, Leclerc qualified in P7. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton did just a shade better (P6), Leclerc was “very disappointed”. He said the car had been “unbelievably difficult” all weekend, with erratic behavior corner to corner that made it impossible to put together a clean lap.
The car’s lack of predictability (sometimes snappy, sometimes understeering) was a burden, especially on Singapore’s street circuit, where precision is crucial.
Race Day: A Battle for Survival
When the lights went out, Leclerc made a committed start, but with the field bunched and traffic tight, his race was one of survival more than of attack. As the front of the grid settled into its rhythm, Leclerc found himself caught trying to coax performance out of a car that didn’t respond cleanly.
Over 62 laps, he held on and minimized losses. He was classified 6th, finishing +45.996 seconds behind race winner George Russell (Mercedes). Max Verstappen was 2nd and Lando Norris 3rd.
Meanwhile, Charles’ teammate Lewis Hamilton struggled too and ultimately finished P8 after a penalty.
Given his qualifying position and the car’s temperamental behavior, Leclerc’s result was a moderate salvage job rather than a triumph.
Ferrari’s Position and Leclerc’s Struggle
By the end of Sunday, the picture was clear: Ferrari is lagging behind Mercedes and McLaren in terms of pace and race execution. McLaren claimed the 2025 Constructors’ Championship at this Singapore Grand Prix. The Ferrari team also trails Mercedes and has Red Bull breathing down its neck.
For Leclerc personally, this weekend reinforced a narrative that’s become all too familiar: when the car is unstable, he is forced into damage limitation duties. His talent is unquestioned, but when the machinery behaves poorly, even he is limited in what he can do.
He and the team will need to find more consistency, in set-ups, feedback loops, and race reliability, if he is to challenge for podiums on more favorable circuits ahead.
Coming Up Next
F1 takes another weekend off before back-to-back races in Austin and Mexico kick things off across in North America.
McLaren have sealed one title, but who is in contention to snatch the other? It could well go all the way to Abu Dhabi, for the first time since 2021.
Piastri is the man in the lead but Norris showed here in Singapore at the start that he is not going to yield easily , and Verstappen is still lurking, ready to swoop on any upsets at McLaren.
