Ferrari driver coach Jock Clear believes Carlos Sainz’s triumph on the Singapore Grand Prix final yr “actually damage” Charles Leclerc.
Sainz transformed pole into victory – the one non-Pink Bull win of the yr in 2023.
The Spaniard put collectively a masterclass on the Marina Bay Avenue Circuit as he intentionally allowed Lando Norris to remain in DRS vary to fend off the 2 Mercedes behind.
Leclerc, who tended to have the sting in qualifying over Sainz, couldn’t capitalise on Pink Bull’s off weekend.
Nonetheless, since then, it’s been Leclerc – other than Australia – who has usually been within the ascendancy.
Clear believes Singapore was a decisive second for Leclerc.
“I believe he is responded nicely to a really robust group mate,” Clear stated on the Past the Grid podcast.
“We have lengthy talked concerning the qualities of Carlos and the actual fact is, Carlos in all probability does not fairly have that fringe of tempo that Charles can present in qualifying, however you take a look at Singapore final yr and that basically hit residence to Charles.
“That was a race that Charles would have gone there as a favorite to win. He usually goes there with quite a lot of confidence, and for Carlos to nick that one below his nostril actually damage. I believe that kind of factor has made him concentrate on: ‘okay, I really want to get the job completed on Sunday.’
“That is to not say he by no means thought that, nevertheless it does imply you alter your focus barely, in case you take it away from, ‘okay, we simply have to get the very best qualifying automotive we will and get a qualifying lap, after which it’s going to all occur on a Sunday.’
“I believe you are simply seeing a greater illustration of Charles and of us as a race driver, as a race automotive, as a race group.”
Clear was additionally fast to level out that discuss round Leclerc’s poor race administration and tyre preservation is a factor of the previous.
“Individuals tended to say to me two or three years in the past, ‘yeah however he’s nowhere close to nearly as good within the race as he’s in qualifying’,” Clear added. “That’s probably not truthful. It’s simply that he’s very, superb at qualifying.
“However, that stated, I believe this yr you could have seen the results of a growth on the automotive facet and a growth on the driving force facet. I believe it is in all probability true that we have shifted our focus barely to creating the automotive a greater race automotive.
“Tyre administration is all the time a scorching subject. It isn’t that Charles traditionally hasn’t been good on tyres. I believe that we, as a mix, have not been targeted that nicely on tyres.
“I believe what we have seen this yr is the results of us being extra targeted on getting the automotive working very well within the race and taking care of these tyres, and Charles studying from earlier years and honing these abilities of tyre administration.”
