Charles Leclerc hopes Singapore upgrade keeps Ferrari ‘on trend’ as constructors’ battle heats up

Charles Leclerc has revealed that Ferrari will be rolling out another upgrade at this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix as the team aim to build on their encouraging recent form – but insists there are not yet any thoughts of fighting for the title.

Ferrari lost ground in both the drivers’ and constructors’ championship via a mid-season slump brought on by troublesome upgrades, but they have gradually climbed back into contention after righting those developmental wrongs.

Indeed, having claimed just one podium in five races from Canada to Hungary, the Scuderia have made it onto the rostrum at the last four Grands Prix, including victory on home soil at Monza and a close runner-up finish in Azerbaijan.

It means Ferrari are now just 31 points behind second-placed Red Bull in the constructors’ championship, and a further 20 behind McLaren, who took the lead last time out with their race-winning performance on Baku’s streets.

BAKU, AZERBAIJAN - SEPTEMBER 15: Charles Leclerc of Monaco driving the (16) Ferrari SF-24 leads the — Leclerc led the early stages in Baku but ultimately had to settle for P2 behind Oscar Piastri

However, asked ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix if the squad are thinking about the constructors’ title, Leclerc said: “Not at all! We don’t think of it at all. We are just focusing race by race, trying to maximise the potential of the car every race that we do.

“We are doing that pretty well since the summer break, so we need to keep on that trend. The season is still long, we still have three Sprint races, so a lot of points available for everybody. We cannot relax and start to think about what happens if we do that or this.”

He continued: “We are doing a good job. We are bringing a small upgrade this weekend which I hope will help us for the rest of the season and now obviously we are going to try and take Mercedes and Red Bull.

“But it’s not by focusing on the title or the end result that [we] will go anywhere. We just have to focus on the process, and that’s what we are doing at the moment.”

Carlos Sainz, returning to the scene of a superb win one year ago when he narrowly beat McLaren’s Lando Norris and Mercedes’s Lewis Hamilton to the chequered flag, echoed team mate Leclerc’s thoughts when he faced the media.

Sainz won on the streets of Singapore in 2023, breaking a run of Red Bull dominance

“The good and positive thing is we are within reach,” the Spaniard commented. “We’re within reach even after a very difficult middle part of the season where we got it wrong with our upgrades and we didn’t develop well enough.

“Now it seems like we’re back in the pace, but to be definitely sure we need to go to circuits where Ferrari hasn’t been that strong in the past like Austin, Sao Paulo or things like that.

“I do believe we can be quick around Singapore, even Las Vegas, [but] I think to realise if we’re going to be able to fight for the World Championship, we need to wait until the other ones.”

Alongside the constructors’ battle, Leclerc sits third in the drivers’ standings, 19 points behind second-placed Norris, and 78 away from leader Max Verstappen, while Sainz is fifth, 129 points off the top.