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Charles Leclerc secured pole position for the 2022 F1 Singapore GP in a session that had far too many surprises. The Ferrari driver benefitted from a scruffy lap by Lewis Hamilton and a compromised session for Max Verstappen. Leclerc will be accompanied by Sergio Perez on the front row with Hamilton right behind in P3.
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Verstappen's poor qualifying means he starts the race in P8 while George Russell had a disappointing outing as well as he starts the race in P11. Speaking of the 2022 F1 Singapore GP, there is a forecast of rain during the main race. What does this mean for the race? Who will hold an advantage in the mixed conditions? Find out as we share our predictions for the 2022 F1 Singapore GP!
#1 Charles Leclerc wins the 2022 F1 Singapore GP
Charles Leclerc has been a victim of far too much unfair criticism this season. His crash at Paul Ricard, although a horrible mistake, was just one of the two occasions this season (the other being Imola) where he was the reason for a below-par result.
The fact of the matter is, Leclerc has been tremendous this season. Rarely has he put his foot wrong and in qualifying, he has been sensational. The F1 Singapore GP pole was somewhat of a gift from Red Bull but after the terrible luck this season, he will take it.
Coming into the race, regardless of the track being dry or wet, the layout plays into his hands. Ferrari has somewhat struggled this season when it comes to race pace. In Singapore, though, Leclerc can manage his speed up front as there are not too many overtaking opportunities. With Max Verstappen starting in P8, and Lewis Hamilton not on the front row and posing a direct challenge, we're backing Leclerc to pick up his fourth win of the season.
#2 A Max Verstappen podium is a possibility
The layout for the F1 Singapore GP is not fun if you're starting the race down in P8. This is not Spa or Monza where you can just waltz your way through the field. That's one of the reasons why we're edging towards a Charles Leclerc win.
Having said that, Singapore still has sections where you can pull off an overtake. The first sector with the DRS is one of these spots. Max Verstappen was by some distance the fastest driver in the first sector, indicating an advantage in the top speed. Verstappen won't progress across the field like he has in the last few races, but is a podium position so far out of reach? Possibly not! We feel there is a strong chance that we will see a Max Verstappen podium at the F1 Singapore GP.
#3 Rain could make the race very tricky for the teams
Even though it would be a welcome change, fans might not like what the prospects of rain bring to the race. Under lights, on a track that is enclosed in certain sections with ground effect cars that tend to raise a lot more water, visibility could be a concern for the teams.
Not only that, but there is a scenario where cars struggle to generate temperatures into the tires due to the nature of the track. This could make things better for cars like Ferrari that have tended to fire up the tires quicker. This could make things tricky for cars like Mercedes that struggle to generate temperature into the tires.
To add to this, the crossover point from Inters to Slicks or the other way around is going to be very risky as well. You don't want to be on a wet patch with slicks. We saw in qualifying how quickly cars ended up running wide because of that. Overall, if we have rain interruptions during the race, things can get quite tricky for teams with so many variables to look for.
#4 Sebastian Vettel scores points
This is more of a romantic prediction as Sebastian Vettel will be starting the race way down the order in P14. The German has struggled somewhat to match his teammate Lance Stroll around this track all weekend. The Canadian, however, has had the edge, even though it is a minor one. Having said that, it is the F1 Singapore GP.
The four-time world champion has been the king of this track with five wins to his name. This iteration of the F1 Singapore GP is his last. Expect Sebastian Vettel to put together something special and score points for Aston Martin.
#5 We will see better action than in the past
One of the biggest reasons why the F1 Singapore GP has been a tough sell when it comes to pulling off overtakes is because of the sequence that led to the DRS zones. The previous generation of cars was much harder to follow and hence would lose ground after the braking point at Turn 1 to the first DRS zone of the lap.
Now, with cars that are much better when it comes to following other cars, the dynamics will change. Will this make overtaking super easy? No, that's not the case and the drivers will still have to work hard for them. Having said that, compared to 2019, overtaking will be much easier this time.
