2024 Formula 1 Preview & Review.

[Fortitude]

Leclerc hails Ferrari fightback from torrid Singapore GP qualifying.
Charles Leclerc hailed Ferrari's "really good race execution" that enabled him to claw his way up to fifth in the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday after a disastrous qualifying session 24 hours earlier.
22/09/2024
France 24

"We maximised our potential today and our race execution was really good," said Leclerc, who still has an outside shot at the drivers' title. He is third in the standings, 34 points behind second-placed Norris and 85 adrift of leader Max Verstappen with six races and three sprints to go.

"Overall, it isn't the most satisfying weekend for us, but as a team, we can be proud of turning things around and bringing home this P5 today."

‘Leclerc hails Ferrari fightback’;

https://www.france24.com/en/live-new...-gp-qualifying


Leclerc’s race “all about waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting”
23rd September 2024
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Leclerc spent the first 28 laps of his race trying to find a way past Nico Hulkenberg and Fernando Alonso. Once he finally broke free of them, he was able to secure a fifth-place finish. “It was very, very frustrating because I wished Nico and Fernando would pit earlier, but obviously they were doing their race and they have all the right to do so,” he told Viaplay.

“But that compromised ours because we were just stuck for 35 laps behind them and then it’s all about waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting and hoping that they don’t go too long on their stint, in order to then push on my tyres and come back towards the end. And that’s what we did. But we weren’t in a great position to do anything better.”

“All about waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting”;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/09/23/...nd-up-23-09-7/


Leclerc “loved” Singapore GP charge after early nightmare in traffic
23 Sep 2024
Adam Cooper's F1 Blog

Charles Leclerc says he “loved” the second part of a Singapore GP that saw him charge to fifth place from ninth on the grid after his frustrating Q3 session. “Yeah, I did,” he said when asked by this writer if he’d enjoyed the race. “From the end of the first stint to the last laps, I loved it. The first 25 laps were a nightmare, because I was just a sitting duck behind Fernando and Nico.”

“And I was just hoping that they had to box very soon because of [the cars] behind, but it never really happened, and they went very long. And I just had to wait. But overall, it’s been a good race from that moment onwards. As soon as they pitted, we maximised our points. We just paid a little bit price of a bad quali yesterday.”

‘Charles Leclerc says he “loved” the second part of a Singapore GP’;

https://adamcooperf1.com/2024/09/23/...re-in-traffic/


Leclerc looks to positives but Ferrari paid the price in Singapore
Leclerc managed to recover from P9 on the grid to finish fifth in Singapore
23 Sep 2024
Adriano Boin
Total Motorsport

Charles Leclerc managed to find the positives and believes Ferrari maximised their performance in the 2024 Singapore GP, with a fifth-place finish all they could have asked for after a disastrous showing in qualifying.

“The last laps I loved it. The first 25 laps were a nightmare because I was just a sitting duck behind Fernando and Nico,” Leclerc told accredited members of the press, including Total-Motosport.com.

“I was just hoping that they had to pit very soon because I was behind, but it never really happened. They went very long so I just had to wait. Overall, it was a good race from that moment onwards. As soon as they pit we maximised our points, we just paid a little bit of the price for our qualifying yesterday.”

‘Looks to positives’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/cha...-singapore-gp/


Charles Leclerc: Ferrari ‘paid the price’ for Singapore F1 qualifying setback
23 Sep 2024
Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

Charles Leclerc has conceded that he “paid the price” in the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix for the qualifying setback which spoiled his and Ferrari‘s race prospects.

However, the marque’s hopes unravelled once the all-important Q3 session that determines the grid arrived as Carlos Sainz crashed while Leclerc propped up in ninth. Leclerc’s one attempt was deleted as he exceeded track limits at Turn 2, with the Ferrari driver incensed that low tyre temperatures had compromised his endeavours.

“Paid the price”;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/...fying-setback/


Ferrari rue qualifying disaster in F1 Singapore GP
23 Sep 2024
Dan Lawrence
Motorsport Week

Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur rued a costly qualifying session that hurt Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz’s chances in the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix. “Friday we were in a better shape than fifth and seventh, so it means that we missed something during the weekend, it’s clear,” said Vasseur.

“But when you start in Singapore ninth and 10th, you know did something wrong on Saturday. It’s not the Sunday that we have to learn something. It’s more than to do a better job on Saturday.” Vasseur said that “the result of the weekend is not the one expected,” no doubt disappointed given Ferrari took victory in Singapore last year.

‘Ferrari rue qualifying disaster’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/...-singapore-gp/


Leclerc pinpoints key failing in Singapore ‘missed opportunity’
Charles Leclerc walked away from the Singapore Grand Prix with a fifth place result in a “missed opportunity” for Ferrari.
23 Sep 2024
Fergal Walsh & Ian Parkes
RacingNews365

When asked if Singapore was a missed opportunity for Ferrari, Leclerc told media including RacingNews365: “I would say yes. But looking back at the pace of the McLaren, and of Max, I’m not sure how many points have we missed today.”

“George definitely, I think we had the car in order to finish in front. I didn’t check again the pace of everybody, but what I’ve heard about Lando’s pace, I don’t think we quite had that in the car, and I don’t know where the others were behind him.”

‘Missed opportunity’;

https://racingnews365.com/leclerc-pi...ed-opportunity


Singapore GP data: How the power of the overcut was used against Mercedes at Marina Bay
23 Sep 2024
Pablo Hidalgo
PlanetF1.com

Still to make the epic comeback was Leclerc. On lap 42, after being blocked by Alonso for three laps, the Ferrari driver finally managed to overtake the Spaniard. Ahead, Carlos Sainz in P6 was in a very different race situation to the Monégasque driver.

Ferrari ordered Sainz to swap positions with Leclerc on lap 43 and the Spaniard put up no opposition. Leclerc then had almost 20 laps to catch Hamilton who was 15 seconds ahead on tyres 19 laps older. And just as in the case of McLaren, with a car also superior to Mercedes in race pace. In just eight laps, Leclerc hunted Hamilton down to reach P5. The Ferrari driver then had another 11 laps to try and catch Russell who was eight seconds ahead.

Leclerc pushed as hard as he could with the hard tyre which started to degrade quickly from lap 55 onwards. The Monégasque reached Russell’s DRS zone on lap 58, but due to the high tyre wear and the difficulty to overtake on track in Singapore, he didn’t make it to P4.

‘The power of the overcut’;

https://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/Sport/F1...harles+Leclerc

[Fortitude]

“Sometimes I wonder why I do this”: How Hamilton endured a slog to sixth in Singapore.
Toto Wolff: “Yeah Lewis sorry we gave the two of you a car that was just not good enough for you. And obviously we read the race wrong but I don’t think it would have made a difference, we were just too slow today.”
24th Sep 2024
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Lewis Hamilton’s frustration with his strategy in the Singapore Grand Prix became clear shortly after he was overtaken by his team mate George Russell. The pair shared the second row of the grid at the start. But Mercedes opted to put Hamilton on soft tyres, which led him to pit earlier than most of his rivals, three of whom passed him before the end of the race. He later said he was “so angry” with the decision. Here’s how his race unfolded on his radio.

“It’s going to be a tough afternoon…”;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/09/24/...-in-singapore/


‘Perplexed, angry’ Lewis Hamilton reveals strategy 'battle' with Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton was left "perplexed" by Mercedes' decision to split strategies at the Singapore Grand Prix.
24 Sep 2024
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

But speaking at a Petronas sponsor event in Kuala Lumpur, Hamilton admitted Mercedes’ decision to start on softs “didn’t make sense to me”. “It wasn’t fun,” Hamilton said of the race. “We sat in our meeting in the morning ahead of the race and the night before they had already mentioned that they would like to split the cars.”

“I was a bit perplexed by it, because in the past when we’ve ever been in that position, if George has qualified well, like he normally does and I’m out of the top 10 or something, then we would split the strategies.”

“But when we were so close it didn’t make sense to me and so I battled as hard as I could to fight to go onto the medium tyre but the team continued to suggest that I start on the soft. When they took the tyre blankets off and everyone was on mediums…”

‘Perplexed, angry’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/105644...attle-mercedes


Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes overruled plea to avoid Soft tyre in F1 Singapore GP
24 Sep 2024
Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

Lewis Hamilton has revealed that Mercedes ignored his desperate plea to avoid starting the race on the Soft tyre at the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix last weekend. Hamilton has divulged that he argued against the pre-race discussion to split strategies between the two Mercedes cars, but the team opted to overrule his concerns.

“We sat in our meeting in the morning of the race – actually the night before they already mentioned that they would like to split the cars – and for me, I was a bit perplexed by it,” Hamilton said at an event in Kuala Lumpur with Mercedes sponsor Petronas.

‘Mercedes overruled plea’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/...-singapore-gp/


Lewis Hamilton tells Mercedes they are 'killing him' after bold Singapore GP tactic
Lewis Hamilton was unhappy with his Mercedes team at the Singapore Grand Prix.
Sep 22, 2024
Harry Smith
Daily and Sunday Express

Lewis Hamilton complained that his Mercedes team were 'killing him' with a bold Singapore Grand Prix tyre strategy. The seven-time world champion improved his qualifying form to set up a P3 start for the race around the Marina Bay Street Circuit, and Mercedes went extra aggressive with their tyre selection.

Starting on the soft compound tyres with almost all of their rivals beginning on mediums, Hamilton was handed an excellent opportunity to overtake second-placed Max Verstappen at the race start. Unfortunately for the seven-time world champion, he got a lot of wheelspin off the line and when he arrived at Turn One, he could only launch a half-hearted move on Verstappen, who held position.

‘Lewis Hamilton tells Mercedes they are 'killing him'!’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...ore-Grand-Prix


Lewis Hamilton slams Mercedes decision that left him ‘perplexed’ in extremely awkward new interview after Singapore GP
The seven-time world champion was unimpressed...
24 Sep 2024
Tom Jenkins
SPORTbible

Lewis Hamilton has been left 'angry' and 'perplexed' by one decision Mercedes made during the Singapore GP where Hamilton saw himself slip from third on the grid to a sixth-placed finish. It was a disastrous grand prix for the man who lined up behind the leading two, as Hamilton saw Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc, and his teammate George Russell come past him in the race.

Hamilton was the outlier at the front of the grid as he started the race on the soft tires while those around him opted for the medium. This decision meant Hamilton had to pit significantly earlier than his competitors, meaning he was essentially hung out to dry in the later stages of the race against cars with much faster tires.

Speaking at a Petronas event following the race, Hamilton pulled no punches as he slammed Mercedes' strategy all while sitting next to Russell.

“The night before they had already mentioned they would like to split the cars, I was a bit perplexed by it," he explained. Hamilton has been convincingly beaten 13-5 by Russell in qualifying so far in 2024, so the fact the 39-year-old was actually ahead of his teammate on the grid made the decision even more baffling.

‘Lewis Hamilton slams Mercedes decision’;

https://www.sportbible.com/f1/lewis-...54106-20240924


Mercedes got Hamilton’s Singapore GP strategy wrong, Wolff admits
24 Sep 2024
Keith Collantine

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff described his team’s Singapore Grand Prix performance as “really painful” after they failed to capitalise on their second row lock-out. “Our strategy decisions in the race were determined by our experiences in the past here where track position is crucial,” Wolff explained. “We thought that the soft tyre would give Lewis an advantage at the start but that turned out to be the wrong decision.”

“With our challenges managing the rear surfaces, we went backwards. Overtaking proved possible, contrary to previous races here where it has been more processional, and in hindsight we should have started him on the medium.” However Wolff said the team’s core problem was its W15’s poor race pace. “We were too slow today,” he admitted.

“We are struggling at the moment with tracks that are hot and demanding on traction, like here and Baku, but that is no excuse. It is difficult for us to accept but we must do and find a way to improve.” Neither Mercedes driver spoke to the media after taking the chequered flag as the team said they needed time to “recover from the exertions of this evening’s race,” which is regularly one of the most punishing on the calendar.

‘Mercedes got Hamilton’s Singapore GP strategy wrong’;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/09/22/...-wolff-admits/


Toto Wolff reveals race-destroying Mercedes mistakes at Singapore GP
Mercedes started third and fourth but converted that to fourth and sixth at the 2024 Singapore GP
22 Sep 2024
Brandon Sutton
Total Motorsport

“That was a really painful evening for us,” Wolff told Mercedes in a press release of their mistakes in Singapore. “P4 and P6 is not a good result after starting P3 and P4.

‘Race-destroying Mercedes mistakes’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/tot...-singapore-gp/


‘We had the doctors with them’ – Lewis Hamilton and George Russell suffer ‘borderline heatstroke’ at Singapore GP
22 Sep 2024
Philip Duncan
The Irish Independent

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were both pulled from their planned media commitments following the Singapore Grand Prix with “borderline heatstroke”. “They would not have been able to go to the [television/print] pen. There were no bad feelings or any annoyance. It is just that we had the doctors with them. But they are all good.”

A Mercedes spokesperson added: “Unfortunately neither George or Lewis will be attending the media pen this evening as they recover from the exertions of this evening’s race.” Hamilton was later quoted in a Mercedes press release. “It is hard to describe the range of emotions you feel when we have a difficult race like that,” he said.

“This year continues to be a testing one for everyone, but we are all pushing as hard as we can. We don’t always get things right and that was the case today with our strategy. We all head into the weekend, and every decision we take, with the right intentions and sometimes it doesn’t work out. It can be frustrating, but we are all in this together.”

‘We had the doctors with them’;

https://www.independent.ie/sport/oth...900751253.html