Despite their shocking recent record when it comes to their strategies, Ferrari made all the right calls on Sunday at the Singapore Grand Prix, allowing Carlos Sainz to claim victory.
The Spaniard controlled the race beautifully from pole position to claim his second career victory, although this one was arguably the better of the two.
Sainz made a strong start from pole, but it was Charles Leclerc’s great start from third which was crucial to Ferrari’s strategy.
The Italians had Sainz start on the Mediums, whilst Leclerc started on the Soft tyres.
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Ferrari did this to try and get Leclerc ahead of George Russell early on, to protect Sainz.
It worked a treat, as Leclerc overtook Russell on the run down into the opening corner.
It meant Ferrari had a 1-2 for the opening stages of the race, which they controlled at a slower pace to preserve their tyres.
Russell actually noticed on Lap 11 that Ferrari were trying to protect Sainz, with the legendary team having told Leclerc to drop back from his team-mate.
Russell could see what Ferrari were playing at and told Mercedes over the radio that it “looks like they’re going to sacrifice Leclerc”.
Sainz and Leclerc both ended up pitting on the same lap, as a Safety Car was required to retrieve Logan Sargeant’s front wing.
Ferrari’s double stack wasn’t exactly flawless, as Leclerc lost multiple places after having to wait for other cars to go past the outfit’s garage.
This effectively ended his podium chances, as he just didn’t have the pace to overtake Russell, Lando Norris or Lewis Hamilton.
With Leclerc no longer in a position to protect Sainz, the 29-year-old was forced to get his elbows out.
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He did brilliantly to remain in the lead, and coped with pressure from both Norris and Russell.
Sainz more than deserved victory, with him being in the form of his life.
He’s built some sensational momentum since claiming pole position at the Italian Grand Prix, with him having now claimed back-to-back poles and back-to-back podiums, although his Singapore podium is significantly sweeter given that it came in the form of the top step.