That is a proper kick in the teeth. According to Motorsport.com Italia, Ferrari left the Singapore Grand Prix with a bittersweet taste in their mouths after a missed pit lane entry cost them a potential double podium finish.
Everything was rolling along nicely for the red cars as the race reached the lap 39 mark, when the second Virtual Safety Car was deployed following the retirement of Lance Stroll. Ferrari seized the moment, calling both of their machines into the pits to exploit the reduced time loss under the neutralisation. Charles Leclerc ducked in to swap his poorly performing medium compound tyres for a fresh set of softs, but Lewis Hamilton missed the pit lane entirely and stayed out on track.
That single mistake turned the machine into an easy target for those behind. Armed with fresher and much more potent rubber during the final stint, Leclerc, Antonelli, Norris, and Piastri all swept past Hamilton, leaving the driver to scramble home in sixth place while Leclerc salvaged a strong second behind the untouchable Red Bull pairing of Max Verstappen and the RB22.
Speaking to Sky Sport F1 after the checkered flag, Frédéric Vasseur laid bare what happened during that crucial moment. "The decision to stay on track was Lewis's. We called both cars into the pits under VSC. Lewis missed the entry and it was a shame, because he would have been third and would have finished there," Vasseur stated. He added that they will need to sit down and discuss the situation to prevent it from happening again, noting the loss of roughly ten points across the weekend as they fight McLaren for second place in the Constructors' World Championship.
Thankfully, the team principal was not angry about the overall weekend, highlighting the strong pace of the machines and the commendable teamwork displayed by the drivers. Leclerc and Hamilton even swapped positions on track when asked, showing a completely fair and clear attitude toward one another.
Vasseur chose to focus on the encouraging pace rather than just the mistake, pointing out that they showed great speed on the wet track earlier and had the performance to secure a double podium on dry tyres as well. The speed was undeniably there, but the points dropped are a painful memory for Maranello.
