Charles Leclerc had a better start than Max Verstappen and claimed the inside line into Turn 1, but many in the media centre felt the Monegasque should have held his ground to take the lead. Verstappen was on the outside, on the normal racing line with more grip, and was prepared to take every risk. He had told Autosport a day earlier that second or third in the drivers' championship meant nothing to him and that he wanted to go all-in for race victories. The braking reference boards on the right-hand side approaching Turn 1 were hidden from Leclerc because he was alongside Verstappen, so he had to choose his braking point by instinct. He does not regard it as a missed opportunity, saying: "I would have done exactly the same."
Leclerc does admit he let a chance to pass slip away a few laps later. Verstappen appeared to be managing his pace to preserve tyres, but the four-time world champion revealed in the post-race press conference that this was not entirely deliberate, as he was having deployment issues in the opening laps. Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad, who uses the same power unit, reported similar problems. Leclerc believed the problem was a one-off each time and did not adjust his own battery use, which he now sees as possibly a mistake. By the time he realised Verstappen had no power at the end of the straight, it was too late.
Track position is crucial at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, and Leclerc acknowledges it might have helped in the first stint. However, he feels Red Bull was simply too strong and managed its tyres better. He tried a different strategy with a second stop under the virtual safety car in the closing stages, but a second win of the season, following his Silverstone triumph, proved out of reach.
Leclerc was happy but not entirely satisfied with second place, which he considered a good result given the team's recent lack of pace. He noted that Ferrari had shown strong pace in qualifying, but the race told a different story.
Source: Autosport F1 News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing