Leclerc wonders if he missed an opening against Verstappen in Singapore

Charles Leclerc said he may have made a mistake by not deploying his battery during the opening laps of the Singapore Grand Prix. He thought each problem with Max Verstappen’s energy supply was a one-off and did not really use his own battery, despite seeing a few opportunities in the first three laps.

Leclerc started alongside Verstappen and came level with him in the opening metres, but was second after the first corners. He stayed close in the early phase, and a sudden attack sometimes seemed possible, but he never got close enough to put Verstappen in serious difficulty. By the time Leclerc realized Verstappen had no power at the end of the straight, he said, it was too late to use his own energy.

The problems with Verstappen’s RB22 were quickly resolved and he pulled away. He won the race, with Leclerc finishing second, 7.335 seconds behind.

Leclerc was unsure whether using his battery earlier would have made much difference. It might have helped during the first stint, he said, but he thought his rivals ultimately had too much speed.