Singapore Grand Prix – Sauber’s Charles Leclerc may have damaged his car on Friday, but it made absolutely no difference to his practice program for the day.
Having never visited Singapore’s Marina Bay circuit before, Charles Leclerc’s first foray around the track didn’t end particularly well. Towards the end of the FP1 session, the Ferrari-bound Sauber driver clouted the barrier on the Anderson Bridge and had to park up with front end damage, having torn his right front wheel loose.
Despite the damage coming right at the end of the 90 minute session, Leclerc was able to resume the track for FP2 after his Sauber mechanics worked hard to get the C37 back in shape.
“It was an interesting day for me.” said Leclerc afterwards. His best time in FP2 was a 1:41.062 which placed him in P14.
“I drove on the Marina Bay Street Circuit for the first time, which was exciting. The track lives up to its reputation and is a good challenge, especially in terms of tyre management. FP1 went well. I made a small error at the end of the session and touched the wall, but thankfully we had already gone through the planned programme and didn’t lose any running time. The team did a great job in fixing up the car in time for FP2.”
“The second session took place at night, which is more representative of the conditions we will have during qualifying and the race. We are competitive and will work hard tomorrow to fight for good start positions. I look forward to being back in the car.”