How did the chain of events throughout the course of the weekend's action facilitate Sebastian Vettel's Singapore Grand Prix victory. Motorsport Week delves into the details to explain.
In the 392 days between his 52nd and 53rd career Formula 1 victories Sebastian Vettel has watched one title bid collapse, one fail to even get going, with his very position within Ferrari questioned, his legacy assessed, and his future evaluated. A miserable Italian Grand Prix only heaped the pressure on Vettel as the throng of adoring Tifosi hailed their new hero, the 21-year-old Charles Leclerc, following two successive victories.
Singapore’s Marina Bay Street Circuit had been expected to favour Vettel, given his distinguished history at the venue, but Ferrari’s pace was not anticipated to be formidable. Indeed, no pundit up and down the paddock gave Ferrari a chance of being anything but third-best. It was set to be a titanic tussle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, given their respective advantages over their team-mates both in Singapore and through 2019, and given that Mercedes and Red Bull have been closely matched at circuits with similar layouts previously this season. The 90-minute practice session on Friday evening suggested that narrative was on the money, as Hamilton edged Verstappen, with the pair substantially clear of the rest. Ferrari was ostensibly in a secondary category, confident it could make progress – particularly on Leclerc’s side of the garage after he was stymied by a gearbox problem – but cautious that challenging for top honours may be a bridge too far.
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However come Saturday evening the Ferrari was in a happy window as both drivers found confidence with the balance of the SF90, which allied to the upgrades brought to Marina Bay thrust the team into contention. It was also possible for the team to focus more on qualifying than race pace, its Saturday speed typically better than Sunday, knowing that if it started from the front it could dictate the slow pace, effectively nullifying any potential aero disadvantage. Vettel danced with the limit on his first push lap in Q3, whacking the wall at Turn 19, and that excessive risk meant his chances unravelled on his second push lap amid a couple of critical errors. The pursuing Leclerc had compromised his own chances of pole on his first push lap by beginning too close to Hamilton – whose own out-lap was slow – but on his second push effort put in a mesmerizingly outrageous effort. Leclerc saved a tank-slapper through Turns 3 and 11, flicking the steering wheel to avoid the wall – and got so close to the temporary barriers on other occasions that it was a reminder of the skill levels involved in hooking together a lap. “Oh my god. I lost control three times,” yelled a jubilant Leclerc as he crossed the line to secure pole. It felt as if that was another dagger into Vettel’s prospects, beaten in a head-to-head fight at a circuit where he has thrived, and for the ninth qualifying session in a row.
The race began as expected. The front-runners maintained their grid positions and started lapping substantially off the pace. It has been a theme at the venue. A one-stop strategy is hugely preferable due to the large pit lane loss time (around 27 seconds), the torturous 23-turn circuit battering the rear tyres, which in turn need nurturing for longer – the 61-lap race ran to 1hr 58m 33s (just 90s below the time limit) – due to the slow average speed of the track. Overtaking is nigh on impossible so track position in Singapore is a valued commodity, second perhaps only to its importance in Monaco.
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Leclerc led Hamilton, Vettel, Verstappen, Bottas and Albon, with the front-running drivers lapping in the 1:49s, some 13 seconds off the pace of the 1:36 used by Leclerc to take pole position. Even George Russell was lapping at a quicker speed. Who would blink first? It was Ferrari. And unexpectedly it compromised one driver at the benefit of the other. Ferrari had been wary that Vettel risked being leap-frogged by fourth-placed Verstappen, who was beginning to struggle with the red-banded Soft tyres, and indeed its fears were proved correct as the Dutchman followed Vettel into the pits on lap 19 of 61. At this stage Ferrari’s plan had worked: it stopped Vettel in order to prevent Verstappen from receiving the undercut, while simultaneously it now gave Vettel a realistic shot at overhauling Hamilton. It had to act on that lap as the recovering Nico Hulkenberg was beginning to edge into a window that would have potentially compromised the Ferrari driver’s out-lap had he not stopped at that particular moment.
In that one move it boxed Mercedes into a corner and also unwittingly thwarted Leclerc.
Ferrari pitted Leclerc on lap 20 but the power of the undercut had already meant his chances had ebbed away. Ferrari thought the undercut was worth around one or two seconds. When Vettel pitted he trailed Leclerc by 3.5 seconds, so it expected Leclerc to maintain his lead when he came in. But it transpired that, allied to a strong Vettel out-lap, the figure was actually 3.9 seconds. The result was that Leclerc emerged from his stop narrowly behind Vettel, and the 21-year-old was quick to press the radio button to query the sequence of events. Ferrari had not informed Leclerc of Vettel stopping a lap earlier, believing that his pace was still sufficient for him to emerge atop the pack. Leclerc was understandably unamused and Ferrari’s explanations did little to placate the youngster while the race was still ongoing.
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Ferrari nevertheless still had to have both Vettel and Leclerc firing on all cylinders for the race was not yet won. Both drivers still had to preserve their tyres while the tardy pace of the first stint meant they had fallen into the unusual position of not having gapped the yet-to-pit drivers who were going long on harder rubber. Hamilton had pleaded for the undercut but once Ferrari had serviced its drivers the only option was to go long. There were factors that could have worked in his favour. Both Vettel and Leclerc had to clear Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly and Antonio Giovinazzi, while a Safety Car period would have worked beautifully into Hamilton’s hands. But Hamilton’s pace was not even faster than the yet-to-pit midfield runners, owing to another strategic setback from the usually seamless Mercedes crew.
“We just missed it by one lap, basically,” said Hamilton. “They said ‘box this lap, do the opposite to Leclerc’ and Vettel had already stopped. Of course hindsight’s always a great thing so we would have stopped the same lap as Vettel. My tyres were quite good after that and they said they were all in my window so I realised already whilst I was doing the following laps that I was going to be coming out in fourth. So then I was like I’ll try and keep these tyres going as much as I can. The thing is, I pushed very hard to try and overcut, so I took life out of my tyres for two laps. I treated them like I was only going to do two laps, and then they said we’re going to extend. So I think that was their decision to extend but by the time they told me to extend my tyres starting going off a cliff because I’d just killed them in two laps. So we were all just a bit unlucky or unfortunate with the decision-making process.”
It was also a development that skewered Bottas’ prospects, for in pitting before Hamilton he risked using the undercut to not only pass his team-mate but also bring Albon into contention. That was not a development Mercedes wanted, and works in contravention of the in-house regulation that says the number one driver on the road has strategic priority – unlike at Ferrari – and so James Vowles informed Bottas to slow his pace. It was an uncomfortable call by Mercedes, though one to which Bottas dutifully obliged and understood. Meercedes, as with Ferrari, had underestimated the power of the undercut.
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Up front the positions were maintained through to the chequered flag but there were still some intriguing developments and little pointers in the second stint. Vettel’s superb out-lap was a key factor in his rise to the lead, while – and this was later overlooked in the wake of the Safety Car phases eradicating his advantage – Vettel’s decisive race-craft meant he emerged from the midfield melee with a six-second lead over Leclerc, having entered that phase with a slender advantage. His restarts were also excellent, bolting clear to the extent that Leclerc had no chance of even considering a move. But Leclerc was keen to express his thoughts where he could. At one restart he requested maximum power and was politely informed to bring the car home. “I won't do anything stupid,” he replied. “It's not my goal. I want us to finish 1-2. I just think it's unfair.” There were other protestations as he made clear that he was not happy with the situation.
“I was surprised because obviously I was not aware in the car, but I guess if this decision has been made it was for the good of the team and it had to be the only way for us to do a 1-2,” he said post-race. “So if it’s the case I completely understand it, but obviously from the car it’s very frustrating. So not completely happy but yeah, anyway the overall result of the weekend is very positive.”
In the clear light of day it was a perfect strategic call from Ferrari as a 1-3 was turned into a 1-2: the best possible result for the team. The contentious element was that the lead driver was compromised and that is not usually the preferred development for a Formula 1 team.
“I understand Charles somehow is a bit disappointed because he was trying to do his best to win the race, and I think he did whatever he could to win the race,” said team boss Mattia Binotto.
There was even a time during the race in which Ferrari considered exercising a driver swap, though ultimately that path was not pursued.
“Yes, we did [consider],” added Binotto. “I think we thought at that stage at least it was the right choice not to do it, and obviously now, we are still discussing with the drivers if that was the right choice or not, which internally we still have different opinions to discuss. But yes, we thought about it.
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Vettel commented: “I said on the radio after the race that the team is bigger than myself, bigger than any individual. I’m happy for the guys and we finished one-two, so for me the order is important, and for Charles the order is important, that is why we are here, we ultimately want to fight for victories. As I said, the team in this regard is bigger than us.”
Leclerc attended the team photo, as per protocol, but made a speedy and glum-looking exit, as he sought a brief chat with Binotto prior to the usual post-race media debrief, by which time he was more philosophical on the race’s outcome.
“Yeah, I think we have been surprised by how powerful the undercut was,” he said. "As I said, in the car it was very frustrating, but now out of the car I understand a lot more the whole situation. I’m extremely happy for the team, very happy for Seb too, he deserves it, and yeah, now I will move forward. Obviously I wish I was one step higher today, but it’s part of life. Sometimes it goes that way, and I will bounce back stronger in Russia.”
Had Leclerc been the driver in third place during the first stint then he would have been the one propelled into the lead, and had Vettel got his final Q3 lap together to secure pole then he would have been the one in Leclerc's shoes, frustrated but understanding of how the undercut helped. Inadvertently his Q3 mistake at a circuit where track position is crucial was what facilitated the end to his victory drought. Formula 1 can be a peculiar game sometimes.
It remains to be seen whether the victory acts as a catalyst for Vettel to rediscover the form that made him a four-time World Champion, or is ultimately regarded as a twilight victory amid the irresistible rise of Leclerc. Only time will tell. But amid the happy surprise of a 1-2 for Ferrari, the first team to achieve the feat in Singapore, the strategic development added another intriguing chapter into Ferrari’s driver dynamic.
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