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Position | Leclerc gives Verstappen great chance of title after poor start
- GPblog.com
Max Verstappen is on 'match point' for his second title in Singapore, but the chances are slim. Although, Charles Leclerc had a very poor start to the weekend and knowing Ferrari, it is hard work from there. Friday's statement reads: Because of Leclerc's poor start to the weekend, Verstappen has a great chance of winning the title in Singapore.
Verstappen's chances of taking the title in Singapore depend on a few factors. First, the Dutchman has to win the race in Singapore, second, he has to keep Leclerc and teammate Sergio Perez (far) behind him. Obviously, Leclerc is causing the biggest problem here. Verstappen has it in him to win the race, although this should not be thought of too lightly, and Perez can always make an extra pit stop in case he is on P4 or better at the end of the race.
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Bad start in Singapore for Leclerc
Leclerc finishing lower than P9 is highly unlikely, but with his weekend in Singapore starting so badly, it may seem more likely. Indeed, on Friday, the Monegasque drove very few laps. Early in the first free practice, Leclerc noticed problems aboard his Ferrari F1-75. In the second free practice, the problems had not been solved and more than half of the session was used to tinker with the car. A poor start to the weekend can cause problems, and especially with Ferrari, which has often shown this season that it cannot keep a cool head in hectic conditions.
Leclerc himself is also wary, saying that while the performance looked good, it is bad that few laps were driven. The team needs to play a big catch-up in VT3 on Saturday. Verstappen's Friday was not good either, but the difference is that Red Bull is a bit more structured than Ferrari and generally easier to turn a bad start into a strong weekend. They did this numerous times in 2022.
Chance of second Verstappen title plausible
The biggest issue for Ferrari this weekend is that the engine does not fail. A failure for Leclerc would almost assure Verstappen of the title. It is not entirely inconceivable that this could happen, as the team seems to have opened up the engines considerably in Monza for qualifying and the race to be the fastest. The engines may have taken a big hit. The noises heard during the first free practice on board with Leclerc did not reassure either. So the contention is that Leclerc's poor Friday made Verstappen's title chances in Singapore plausible. Do you agree? Let us know why, or why not, in the comments