Ferrari seek to make amends for Baku with repeat win in Singapore

For this weekend, the Formula 1 World Championship heads to the streets of Marina Bay for the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix, marking the second consecutive street circuit after Baku. Ferrari arrives in town with their boss Vasseur eager to replicate Sainz's victory of a year ago.

Ferrari’s drivers Charles Leclerc and Sanz, will face challenging conditions, as the Singapore Grand Prix is notorious for its demanding nature. Despite being held at night, the high humidity and heat mean drivers can lose up to 3 kilograms in weight over the race distance. Tropical downpours, a frequent feature in Singapore, could add another unpredictable factor, although rain typically falls before track sessions.

The Scuderia report in their preview of the Singapore GP: "Strategy will play a pivotal role, as overtaking is notoriously difficult on street circuits. Track position will be key, and Ferrari’s race plan will likely follow the standard approach of starting on Medium tyres before switching to Hards around lap 30 for a one-stop race.

"However, with the Marina Bay Circuit’s history of frequent Safety Car interventions—seven appearances in the last seven races. Ferrari’s strategists will need to stay flexible."

Last year, Carlos Sainz showcased his composure by maintaining the lead from pole position despite pressure from drivers on fresher tyres, clinching a memorable victory. Sainz, who departs Ferrari for Williams next year to make way for Lewis Hamilton, celebrates his 200th Grand Prix this weekend - his 82nd with Ferrari.

The Smooth Operator will look to replicate that success and lead the Scuderia to glory once again and forget the huge crash he had with Perez when battling for P3 in the final stages of the Azerbaijan GP on Sunday.

Looking back to Baku, Vasseur lamented: "Last weekend’s race did not produce the result we were hoping for, which in itself is proof that we are currently very much on the pace, at a time when Formula 1 is putting on a great show with very little to choose between the top four teams of the moment."

Indeed there is little to separate the top eight drivers, but it would fair to say that McLaren and Ferrari seem to have the slightest edge in this era of tiny margins, where a tenth or two of a second can be the difference between pole position and P10.

Ferrari with Leclerc fastest in Baku Qualifying and Sainz in P3, plus the strong showing of both cars (until Sainz and Perez crashed) is reason for optimism, which Vasseur acknowledged: "We want to maintain this strong form in Singapore, another demanding street circuit. Both our drivers like it, indeed one of them won here last year.

"We would like to do that again, continuing to work well as a team, as we have done in recent races. We have seen in the last two Grands Prix how important is tyre management and Singapore will be the third consecutive weekend where we will have the same three softest compounds in the range.

"We should have a better understanding of them, even if every track is different. Of course, qualifying takes on great importance at the Marina Bay track and we are well prepared for it, so I’m sure we can give all our opponents a hard time.

With a challenging track, unpredictable weather, and strategic battles ahead, Ferrari will be hoping to keep the momentum as they aim for another strong performance at one of Formula 1’s most challenging venues.

With Red Bull's sudden demise, it's all to play for in the 2024 F1 constructors' standings, with Ferrari in P3, 51 points adrift of leaders McLaren 31 points down on Red Bull, with seven race weekends to go, three of them including Sprint Races.