Can Ferrari maintain their newfound form?

Since Formula One returned from the mid-year break, three races have passed. They were all won by Ferrari in a remarkable turnaround from the start of the season.

Belgium and Italy belonged solely to Charles Leclerc, who finally got the monkey off his back and took his maiden Formula One victory, swiftly followed by another a week later. That was somewhat expected, however.

Fast forward to Singapore, a track designed for a car that is everything the Ferrari isn’t. It was believed that Mercedes and Red Bull would be the ones to watch, with Ferrari lagging behind. What transpired was, perhaps, the biggest shock of the season so far.

The Italian marque came out of the gate immediately strong, Sebastian Vettel claiming provisional pole position until Leclerc snatched it from him. Calling the race between all three teams was virtually impossible.

By last Sunday, Ferrari had perfected their tyre strategy as well. With Leclerc leading Lewis Hamilton, Vettel was just behind in third place. A decisive call to pit the German before his team-mate and Hamilton meant the four-time champion vaulted both his rivals and assumed the lead in the race.

That allowed him to take his first official victory for more than a year and right the wrongs of Canada three months ago. Leclerc followed, rather bemused and angry, in second place for the team’s first one-two of the season.

The result also meant Ferrari won three races in a row for the first time since 2008. Something clicked during the break, but how long can they keep it going?

Today’s Russian Grand Prix at the Sochi Autodrom, the former home of the 2014 Winter Olympics, has been won by Mercedes every year since it first appeared on the Formula One calendar.

Form would suggest that the reigning champions might still have the edge. However, Leclerc is quietly confident that their upgrades will help here too.

“Arriving in Russia with three positive weekends behind us feels great,” Leclerc said.

“We have made good progress and our car seems to be more competitive on tracks with various layouts now.”

Red Bull are also confident of a strong result, with Alex Albon citing the track layout as an advantage if a driver can get it absolutely right.

“The track is predominantly made up of 90° corners, so if you’re good at one, you’re going to be good at all 18 of them,” said Albon.

“It’s good for overtaking with some long straights.”

However, Max Verstappen is feeling slightly more realistic about his chances.

“The track layout isn’t that amazing for us. But it’s unique as most of the corners are 90°, which we don’t usually experience, and it’s always challenging to go from high-speed straights into low-speed corners, getting the best out of the car under braking.”

Mercedes must now keep one eye firmly behind them. Their advantage seems to have disappeared. While both championships are virtually guaranteed, with Hamilton extending his lead over Valtteri Bottas in Singapore despite finishing fourth, the natural desire to win grands prix races is still very much there. There is no room for complacency.

Hamilton leads the standings with 296 points. Bottas has 231, Leclerc has 200, Verstappen has 200 and Vettel has 194. These drivers are involved in a tight battle to be the best of the rest.

Lights out for the race is 1.10pm South African time today.

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