Charles Leclerc went 0.076s faster than Lando Norris to top the timing sheets of the first practice for the Singapore Grand Prix before the two switched order for the McLaren to head the Ferrari by 0.058s in FP2.
Norris’s 1m 30.727z from second practice was the day’s quickest lap and is a whole two seconds faster than the best FP2 time at the same venue a year ago, given the introduction of a fourth DRS zone and a freshly paved surface.
The battle atop the time sheets between McLaren and Ferrari began immediately in FP1, with Norris, Leclerc and Carlos Sainz trading blows for most of the session.
Oscar Piastri was delayed in taking to the track as McLaren found an issue on the rear of his car as practice began. Despite this, he still completed 25 laps and survived a late brush with the wall that caused minor cosmetic damage to his wheel cover to go sixth quickest.
Once again, Max Verstappen and Red Bull didn’t have the pace to respond to the Ferraris and McLarens, with the World Championship leader over three-tenths off the pace in FP1, albeit setting the fourth fastest time. Sergio Perez, meanwhile, was over a second off Leclerc’s best effort and finished 14th.
While Red Bull battled, their sister team, RB, fared much better. Yuki Tsunoda was a surprise fifth fastest in FP1, while an under-pressure Daniel Ricciardo was seventh, behind Piastri.
Alex Albon, Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon completed the top ten in opening practice, with the latter only 0.003 faster than impressive Williams rookie Franco Colapinto.
Mercedes’s Lewis Hamilton was 12th, while George Russell was 16th.
Darkness descended on the Marina Bay Street Circuit ahead of FP2, allowing teams to practice in conditions similar to Sunday’s race.
Norris and Leclerc were over half a second faster than the field over the 60-minute practice, with third-placed Sainz 0.571s behind Norris.
RB’s strong pace carried into the night, with Tsunoda going fourth fastest, one-tenth off Sainz’s pace and 0.006s ahead of Piastri.
Ricciardo was sixth in FP2, while Russell, Perez, Albon, and Nico Hulkenberg completed the top ten.
However, there was late drama for Russell, who nosed his #63 Mercedes nosing into the barrier at Turn 8. He could reverse out minus his front wing, which allowed the session to remain green.
Hamilton finished FP2 in 11th, while Verstappen was a lowly 15th.
Third practice in Singapore begins at 9.30 pm NZST, before qualifying at 1.00 am. The Singapore Grand Prix starts at midnight on Monday morning.
Header Image: Scuderia Ferrari
