Yesterday’s FP3 and qualifying sessions built on the first day’s running where the pilots were fighting in the midfield on the challenging Marina Bay Street Circuit. Driving in two very different conditions, FP1 took place under the scorching sun during the daytime while FP2, held under the floodlights, was much more representative race conditions during the night.

The team placed a special focus on tyre management during FP1 and FP2 in preparation for Saturday’s qualifying runs. The start position is always a crucial factor in finishing this epic street race with a good result. The team was competitive in both sessions.

Leclerc discovered the challenging Marina Bay Street Circuit for the first time on Friday and adapted to its demands quickly. Despite a mistake at the end of FP1, the Monegasque driver, who last week was finally announced as moving Ferrari for 2019, finished the session in P9, with his running schedule remaining unaffected as he had already completed the planned programme at that time.

Leclerc headed into FP2 in strong form but finished the session in P14. Ericsson, meanwhile, gave a decent performance, finishing FP1 in P11, and FP2 in P12.

Onto yesterday and despite a tricky third free practice session where Leclerc was P16 and Ericsson P19, the team managed to improve the balance of their cars and optimise their performance, extracting the maximum potential from the two C37s come last night’s a tight qualifying session.

The race this evening will be a demanding one for drivers and teams alike, as torrid temperatures combined with difficult track conditions and unique challenges posed by the spectacular street circuit always guarantee an exciting and eventful Grand Prix.

Marcus Ericsson

C37 (Chassis 03/Ferrari)
Qualifying: 14th in Q2 (1:39.453 min / hypersoft tyres)
1st practice: 11th / 1:42.408 min (23 laps) / 2nd practice: 12th / 1:40.812 (37 laps) / 3rd practice: 19th (1:41.953 min / hypersoft tyres / 18 laps)

“It was an interesting day for us. FP3 was rather difficult for us, and we were not fully satisfied with our performance. Nevertheless, we headed into qualifying feeling confident. The first session ran smoothly and I was happy with my performance. Unfortunately, Q2 did not go as well as we would have wanted it to. I felt good in the car, but couldn’t seem to improve enough to make it to Q3. We can see that the midfield is very tight, and will have to focus on tyre management and a good strategy to get a positive race result. I look forward to tomorrow.”

Charles Leclerc

C37 (Chassis 02/Ferrari)
Qualifying: 13th in Q2 (1:38.747 min / hypersoft tyres)
1st practice: 9th / 1:42.035 min (24 laps) / 2nd practice: 14th / 1:41.062 min (37 laps) / 3rd practice: 16th (1:40.915 min / hypersoft tyres / 20 laps)

“It was a positive day overall. We made some improvements between FP3 and qualifying, and fought our way to Q2. We extracted the maximum out of our car, which is always our main target, and we can be satisfied with our performance. We have a long and tricky race ahead of us, and the high temperatures will be a good challenge which I cannot wait to discover.”

Photos: Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team - 2018 FIA F1 World Championship