Lewis Hamilton in Singapore GP - Photo: Race Pictures

Ferrari on the back foot: Frustration mounts in Maranello

16:01, 06 Oct

byNorberto Mujica

Scuderia Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur has voiced his frustration at the hard work the team and the drivers are putting in to little or no effect in terms of results.

We are all pushing and at the end of the day we are putting so much effort to be there and we have to do all the race on the back foot.

- Frédéric Vasseur

Ferrari's woes continue as the team fails to make tangible steps ahead across an entire race weekend, leaving the Italian team to squander the car's potential, and thus their chances at a top result as well.

Speaking after the Singapore Grand Prix where Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton drove to discreet P6 and P8 finishes marred by brake related issues, Vasseur touched on the mounting frustration within the Italian team.

He said: "What is mega frustrating is that the last two weekends, we came in Baku and then Singapore and at the beginning of the weekend the pace is there and we didn't extract the best from the car, I think honestly. We are doing 29.7 [in] Q1 yesterday and 29 .7 [in] Q3."

lewis-hamilton-charles-leclerc-pits-singapore-gp-f1

Lewis Hamilton leaving the pitlane during the Singapore Grand Prix - Photo: Race Pictures

Vasseur then stated that despite all the hard work that goes in from the team and its drivers, they've been forced to run damage limitation races.

He continued: "We are struggling again on all the race to be on the back foot. For the team it's mega frustrating, when I say team it's team and drivers, for all of us because we are all pushing and at the end of the day we are putting so much effort to be there and we have to do all the race on the back foot."

Ferrari's poor Singapore outing magnified by brake issues

Since the initial phase of the race both Hamilton and Leclerc had to manage brake related issues, caused by the high Singaporean temperatures, which become exacerbated by running in the midfield.

Whereas Leclerc managed to mitigate damages some crossing the line in P6, Hamilton seemed to have gotten the raw end of the stick, with his issues forcing Ferrari to adapt his pace to the brake system's limitations.

Having cut one too many corners in a bid to save his P7 finishing result, Hamilton was investigated by the Singapore GP Stewards, and subsequently handed a 5-second time penalty which saw him lose a place to Fernando Alonso who voiced his disagreement with Hamilton being allowed to run in what the Spaniard believed to be dangerous conditions.

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