The F1 race that “really hurt” Charles Leclerc against Carlos Sainz
"I think that sort of thing has made him focus on: ‘okay, I really need to get the job done on Sunday.’"
Ferrari driver coach Jock Clear believes Carlos Sainz’s triumph at the Singapore Grand Prix last year “really hurt” Charles Leclerc.
Sainz converted pole into victory - the only non-Red Bull win of the year in 2023.
The Spaniard put together a masterclass at the Marina Bay Street Circuit as he deliberately allowed Lando Norris to stay in DRS range to fend off the two Mercedes behind.
Leclerc, who tended to have the edge in qualifying over Sainz, couldn’t capitalise on Red Bull’s off weekend.
However, since then, it’s been Leclerc - aside from Australia - who has generally been in the ascendancy.
Clear believes Singapore was a decisive moment for Leclerc.
“I think he's responded well to a very strong team mate,” Clear said on the Beyond the Grid podcast.
“We've long talked about the qualities of Carlos and the fact is, Carlos probably doesn't quite have that edge of pace that Charles can show in qualifying, but you look at Singapore last year and that really hit home to Charles.
“That was a race that Charles would have gone there as a favourite to win. He often goes there with a lot of confidence, and for Carlos to nick that one under his nose really hurt. I think that sort of thing has made him focus on: ‘okay, I really need to get the job done on Sunday.’
“That's not to say he never thought that, but it does mean you change your focus slightly, if you take it away from, ‘okay, we just need to get the best qualifying car we can and get a qualifying lap, and then it'll all happen on a Sunday.’
“I think you're just seeing a better representation of Charles and of us as a race driver, as a race car, as a race team.”
Clear was also quick to point out that talk around Leclerc’s poor race management and tyre preservation is a thing of the past.
“People tended to say to me two or three years ago, ‘yeah but he’s nowhere near as good in the race as he is in qualifying’,” Clear added. “That’s not really fair. It’s just that he’s very, very good at qualifying.
“But, that said, I think this year you have seen the result of a development on the car side and a development on the driver side. I think it's probably true that we've shifted our focus slightly to making the car a better race car.
“Tyre management is always a hot topic. It's not that Charles historically hasn't been good on tyres. I think that we, as a combination, haven't been focused that well on tyres.
“I think what we've seen this year is the result of us being more focused on getting the car working really well in the race and looking after those tyres, and Charles learning from previous years and honing those skills of tyre management.”
