For Ferrari, there are still two important season goals in 2022: Build momentum for 2023 and keep Mercedes behind them in the Constructors’ Championship
The maths is actually quite simple: if Charles Leclerc finishes at least seventh in the Singapore Grand Prix, Max Verstappen cannot become world champion on Sunday. But the Ferrari driver isn’t even bothering with the maths: “The goal is to win on Sunday,” he says – knowing that Verstappen can’t be denied the 2022 Formula One World Championship under normal circumstances anyway.
For Leclerc, the focus has therefore shifted. Finishing second in the World Championship would be a nice bonus. But really, all that matters to him now is to prepare as well as possible for 2023.
Ferrari is probably the most improved team in 2022. In Fernando Alonso’s eyes, the F1-75 is even the best car in the field, ahead of Verstappen’s Red Bull RB18. But with technical defects, strategic missteps, pit stop mishaps and a few driving errors, Leclerc and Ferrari have robbed themselves of any chance of winning the title.
That’s why Leclerc says ahead of Singapore, “I want us to focus on how we run the races on Sunday for the remaining six Grands Prix. That’s super important in terms of next year.”
“In terms of performance, we have made an incredible step since last year. We still need one more step to be able to become world champions. And that’s where our focus is in the last six races. “
Sainz: Never more than three good races in a row
Team-mate Sainz nods, “I want six consistent races to build up some more momentum for next year. This year I never had more than two or three good races in a row. There was always a reliability problem in between, a bad pit stop or a bad strategic decision.”
“Monza was a good race for me. We had the penalty but fought for pole position. I hope we can continue like this and get a few more podiums. Even better would be a win. It would be ideal to break Red Bull’s winning streak, win ourselves and then take that momentum into next year,” said the Spaniard.
Sainz calls for focus on qualifying
As for Singapore, he says full focus should be on qualifying. “I think in qualifying our chances are not bad. And if you are in front, you can win. We should try to hit qualifying perfectly and then see what’s in it for the race.”
Leclerc sees things a little differently: Saturday is “enormously important” in Singapore, but “on Sunday we get the points. We have to do that perfectly. I think we need to focus on delivering the race on Sunday. We’ve actually been strong in qualifying all season, but in the race we’ve had weaknesses at times. “
In principle, the Monegasque believes Singapore “could be a good track for us. But Red Bull seem to have taken another step forward since the summer break. It will be difficult, a challenge. We have been strong most of the time since the summer break. Apart from Spa. But that was an outlier. “
Constructors’ Championship: 35-point lead over Mercedes
As far as the World Championship is concerned, it’s all about the podium places for Ferrari in the Drivers’ Championship. In the constructors’ championship, the aim is to hold on to second place at all costs. The Scuderia currently has 406 points. Red Bull (545) is almost uncatchable. But Mercedes (371) are still threatening from behind.
“We’re more worried about winning races again than we are about Mercedes,” says Sainz. “If we win again by the end of the season under our own steam, then the fight against Mercedes will take care of itself. For that, we always have to be top 3 or top 4 in qualifying. And, as in Monza, also have the necessary race pace.”
Sainz underlines: “In Monza, our race pace was much better than that of Mercedes. If it stays like that, then we don’t have to worry about the races. But I think we should focus more on the fight against Red Bull. If we do that, then everything else will take care of itself. “
