Charles Leclerc's preparations for the Singapore Grand Prix got off to an unusual start after his private jet was forced to turn back to Malaysia, leaving the Ferrari driver to take the journey by road instead.
The trip between two of F1's Asian races is usually a short transfer, and it's made even easier if they are able to get their hands on a private jet. With roughly 185 miles separating Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, the flight usually would take under an hour.
Instead, Leclerc's aircraft returned to Malaysia before it could land in Singapore, and the Monegasque made the rest of the journey in a car - a drive of around four hours.
Italian outlet Il Mattino reported that a delay in the schedule meant the jet missed its assigned landing window at Seletar Airport, while other reports said the aircraft had not been granted permission to land. Neither Ferrari nor Leclerc has given an official explanation.
Leclerc addressed what happened in a conversation with beIN.
"I missed the slot by like five minutes to be landing on time in Singapore, so I had to land somewhere in Malaysia then look for a car to come here. But at the end I eventually got here so I'm happy to be here... just a little bit later than what was planned."
Max Verstappen, in his own private jet, touched down on time.
"Lucky him, lucky him," Leclerc laughed.
Leclerc was not the only driver to make the journey without a plane. Cadillac's Valtteri Bottas cycled from Sepang to Singapore, announcing on social media: "I'm riding to Singapore. On the gravel roads less traveled with my new Canyon Grail CFR. See you there."
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He held that position to the flag, finishing 7.335 seconds behind Max Verstappen, who won from pole. Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli completed the podium.
"We were quite strong at the beginning of the race, then we started degrading a bit more in the first stint," he admitted.
"Then we did a slightly different strategy to Max with the [Virtual] Safety Car. I believed in it until the very end, but I pushed a lot at the beginning of that last stint and degraded a bit more than the others. I gave it all and I don't regret anything."
He added that Ferrari's new parts had helped, but that more was needed: "It's not enough. We'll push to the end and we've still got to bring some new things to the car to be at the level."
The result earned Leclerc 18 points. For Verstappen, it was a first Singapore Grand Prix victory and a second consecutive win after Sepang.
With the season moving on to Austin, Leclerc will be hoping the next transfer is a more conventional one.