Charles Leclerc lays down Ferrari end-of-year mission

Leclerc, Ferrari, Singapore, 2022 — Photo: © LAT Images

Singapore Grand Prix

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Leclerc lays down Ferrari end-of-year mission

The championship may be gone but can Ferrari restore pride?

Ewan Gale

Thursday 29 September 2022 20:04

Charles Leclerc has challenged Ferrari to prove over the final six races of the season the team has "grown from the mistakes" committed in the championship race.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen can take a second drivers' title in Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix by outscoring Leclerc by 22 points and team-mate Sergio Perez missing out on the podium.

The scenario would have seemed farfetched after the opening three rounds of the year from which Leclerc earned a 46-point advantage over the reigning champion, who had suffered two retirements.

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But Ferrari capitulated mid-season with a raft of strategic errors and reliability issues, allowing Red Bull to take control of the campaign.

Leclerc has not been free of guilt with two errors of his own at Imola and Paul Ricard, but the Monégasque believes the Scuderia has time to prove itself.

Asked for the target heading into the final stanza of the 22-race season, Leclerc said: "Just extract the maximum out of the car and show we have grown from the mistakes we have done this year.

"Try to execute the weekends perfectly and try to have a win on Sunday."

Leclerc - "No room for mistakes" in Singapore

Singapore returns to the calendar after an enforced three-season lay-off due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Marina Bay Street Circuit is regarded as one of the most gruelling on the schedule, with heat, high humidity and the rugged street layout testing drivers both physically and mentally.

After declaring his love for the event, Leclerc explained: "This is one of the longest races of the season.

"To still keep the mental freshness whenever your physicals are completely dead is a tricky task.

"You have no room for mistakes which makes it exciting, so that is why I love it."