Leclerc tops the charts in Singapore FP1; Norris and Sainz close behind
Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool
Charles Leclerc demonstrated Ferrari's potential during the first practice session ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, setting the fastest time with an impressive lap of 1m 31.763s. Leclerc narrowly outpaced McLaren's Lando Norris by just 0.076s, with his teammate Carlos Sainz securing third place.
The session began with Daniel Ricciardo hitting the track first amid ongoing rumors about his future. However, all eyes were initially on Oscar Piastri, whose participation seemed doubtful due to an unusual issue with his car's rear-left tyre during a pit stop practice. "This isn’t an issue we’ve seen before," said the McLaren team, who assured they would "assess the issue fully to ensure we have no further issues this weekend."
Norris set the early benchmark on medium tyres with a time of 1m 33.903s, half a second ahead of championship leader Max Verstappen. Though Piastri managed to join the session after missing the first ten minutes, Ricciardo faced issues of his own, with his RB team struggling to remove an aero rake from his VCARB 01.
The slippery conditions on track led to a few incidents: Sergio Perez triggered a yellow flag after running off at Turn 16, and Valtteri Bottas reported being "blocked" by Williams driver Franco Colapinto.
As the session progressed, Leclerc ascended to the top of the timesheets. Once drivers switched to the soft C5 compound for flying laps, Norris temporarily reclaimed P1. The Williams duo continued to impress, both making it into the top 10 following a strong performance in Azerbaijan.
Fernando Alonso provided a highlight with a remarkable save after oversteering on a kerb. His teammate Lance Stroll, however, drew ire from Yuki Tsunoda after running slowly and impeding the RB driver.
Ultimately, it was Leclerc who emerged fastest, nailing the top spot by the end of the hour. Verstappen, Tsunoda, and Piastri completed the top six, with the latter experiencing a minor collision with the wall that damaged his wheel hubcap. Ricciardo secured seventh place, followed by Albon, Alonso, and Esteban Ocon in the top 10.
Coming in at 11th, Franco Colapinto outpaced Lewis Hamilton, who finished in P12, and Pierre Gasly in P13. Perez, troubled by issues with his Red Bull's steering, ended 14th, with Stroll in 15th.
George Russell, still riding high from his surprise podium in Baku, surprisingly finished 16th. Kevin Magnussen put Haas in 17th, ahead of the Kick Sauber duo of Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, while Nico Hulkenberg concluded the session in 20th place.
Teams and drivers will now focus on analyzing the data before they return to the Marina Bay Street Circuit for the second practice session.
Up Next
