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During the conclusion of the Singapore GP, Charles Leclerc had to deal with a ‘critical engine problem’. That also explains why Leclerc only finished just ahead of Max Verstappen.
Out of nowhere, Max Verstappen suddenly threatened Charles Leclerc for fourth place at the end of the race. The Monegasque had previously battled with both Mercedes drivers, obviously to help teammate Carlos Sainz as he tried to win the race.
Once both Mercedes drivers had passed him, Leclerc seemed to take it easy, but there was more going on. Leclerc lost a lot of time and he reveals that he had a critical problem with the engine and the car’s temperature rose far too high.
“It was all about getting the car to the finish. The car overheated,” said Leclerc. “The speed was therefore not representative. It was all about getting to the finish, but the speed was good for that. It was good race management from the team.”
“It was mainly the engine, we knew it was critical. The race in Singapore is always very taxing. After the two Mercedes passed me I didn’t have much left to gain, so we decided to just bring the car to the finish.”
Leclerc lost no less than 17 seconds to Max Verstappen during the last four laps of the race. Ultimately, Leclerc had a narrow lead of just 0.264 seconds over Verstappen at the finish. Just enough for fourth place.