Mercedes boss Toto Wolff still believes his team can win in Singapore despite claiming Ferrari were “quicker everywhere” in qualifying.
Charles Leclerc surprised the Formula 1 paddock by claiming a third straight pole and fifth this year at Marina Bay, on a circuit not expected to suit the SF90.
However, the Austrian believes some got caught up in that expectation, perhaps even Mercedes.
“You can see this is a circuit where you would have thought the Red Bulls and the Mercedes are going to battle for pole like in Hungary,” he told Sky Sports.
“But it’s an odd circuit, it’s different and I think they [Ferrari] did a good job today, their car is fast and we have to get our act together tomorrow.”
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With this the first high downforce track since Hungary, it means Ferrari has had around a month of development time to make progress and a major upgrade package does appear to have done the trick.
“They are gaining a few tenths on the straights, but they are also very quick in the corners, so they are just quicker everywhere,” the Mercedes boss admitted.
It is still anticipated that Mercedes will have the better race car in Singapore, but with overtaking notoriously tough and the pole man winning 8/11 times using that advantage could be a different story.
“The statistics are against us, but the race hasn’t started yet. I think if Lewis has a decent start and if Valtteri is able to improve a position or two then we are in a good position,” Wolff concluded.