Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have declared Ferrari’s intent to challenge at the front of the field during the Singapore Grand Prix, though the two drivers struck notably different tones heading into the street circuit weekend.

Hamilton, speaking at Thursday’s media day in Singapore, said the Scuderia arrived with aggressive intentions despite acknowledging the team’s recent inconsistency. “We’re here to attack. Qualifying is key and it would be really great if we could start tomorrow on the right foot and then just attacking in Qualifying,” the seven-time World Champion said.

The Briton arrives in Singapore off the back of a recovery drive in Malaysia, where a misjudged wet-weather tyre strategy forced him to claw back through the field before salvaging a podium finish. It was his first podium result since the British Grand Prix, but Hamilton was careful not to overstate its significance. “It’s not that we come here with momentum, we’ve had one good race last weekend and we’ll try and build on that,” he said.

Hamilton expressed cautious optimism that Ferrari’s 2026 challenger could be better suited to the Marina Bay street circuit than recent venues. “I think with our car it’s generally good on street circuits, particularly when there’s not long straights. If you look at the last races we’re quick through corners, not so quick in a straight line,” he said. “This is a high drag circuit, so I’m hoping that the advantage others have on those long straights comes down a little bit and we can start matching them through corners.”

Leclerc was more measured in his assessment, warning that Ferrari’s position in the competitive order has slipped in recent rounds, with McLaren and Red Bull having displaced the Italian team as Mercedes’ closest rivals. “Historically we’ve been quite strong here, but we cannot really rely on the past,” Leclerc said. “The tendency lately has been that we’re losing a bit of performance compared to the guys in front, so to win will be very difficult.”

The Singapore Grand Prix is also a Sprint weekend, a format Hamilton described as adding a unique layer of complexity. “It’s a Sprint weekend, which makes this track the most challenging of the year,” he said. “We’re just going over the numbers and trying to make sure we start in the right place.”