By Holly Wright
George Russell topped the timesheets in the only practice session ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, beating Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and McLaren’s Lando Norris to first place at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
The Mercedes driver set a late benchmark of 1:32.274 to finish 0.198 seconds clear of Leclerc, with Norris a further 0.075 seconds behind in third as the teams prepared for Sprint Qualifying later on Friday.
Lewis Hamilton finished fourth for Ferrari, ahead of McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri, while reigning world champion Max Verstappen was sixth fastest for Red Bull after setting his best time on the medium-compound tyres.
Russell’s performance offered Mercedes encouragement following a difficult weekend in Malaysia, although the Briton faces a separate challenge on Sunday after a power unit change leaves him set to start the Grand Prix from the back of the grid.
Russell Comes Out On Top
With just one hour available to prepare for the demanding Marina Bay circuit, drivers headed straight out when the session began at 16:30 local time, despite dusty conditions and a track surface that was still developing.
The opening stages were largely devoted to gathering data on the hard-compound tyres. Norris initially set the pace before Leclerc became the first driver to break the 1:34 barrier with a 1:33.969. Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli subsequently lowered the benchmark to 1:33.830 as the track improved.
The session’s competitive picture changed when teams began switching to the soft tyres for qualifying simulations.
Russell was the first to make the change, immediately moving to the top with a 1:32.864. Piastri came within 0.034 seconds of that time before Hamilton briefly took over first place with a 1:32.821.
Russell responded inside the final five minutes, producing the session’s fastest lap of 1:32.274. Leclerc improved to second, while Norris secured third to give Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren representation at the front.
The gaps suggest a close contest heading into Sprint Qualifying, although the differing tyre strategies mean the practice classification does not necessarily reveal each team’s full potential.
Mercedes Compare Upgrade Packages
Russell’s pace comes at an important point in Mercedes’ season after the team struggled in Malaysia, where team principal Toto Wolff described the weekend as its “worst weekend of the season”.
Mercedes has opted to run different specifications across its two cars to assess the effectiveness of its latest aerodynamic developments.
Russell has reverted to the pre-Malaysia specification, while Antonelli retains the newer package introduced at the previous round, alongside a new front wing. The comparison should help the team understand whether its recent upgrades are delivering the expected gains.
Antonelli finished seventh, 1.251 seconds behind Russell, but the gap requires context. The Italian set his best time on the medium tyres and ran deep at Turn 16 on his final attempt, while his team-mate benefited from a soft-tyre run.
Mercedes will therefore be looking beyond the headline times when evaluating the data, particularly as it attempts to establish a clearer understanding of its performance after the difficulties in Malaysia.
Russell’s grid penalty means his Sunday prospects will also depend on how effectively he can use the remaining sessions to prepare for a recovery drive.
Norris Offers Encouragement For McLaren
McLaren arrived in Singapore looking to arrest a dip in form, with Norris having collected just two points across the previous two race weekends.
A straight-line speed issue contributed to the team’s recent difficulties, but McLaren believes it has resolved the problem. Norris’ third-place finish provides an encouraging early indication that the team could be back in contention.
His time of 1:32.547 left him less than three tenths behind Russell, while Piastri finished fifth, 0.564 seconds off the pace. Both drivers therefore placed inside the top five on a circuit where confidence under braking, traction and performance through low-speed corners are particularly important.
The next challenge is converting that practice form into a competitive Sprint Qualifying result. With Ferrari also showing encouraging pace, McLaren will need to maintain its performance when the pressure increases.
Ferrari Shows Promise As Verstappen Uses Mediums
Ferrari placed both cars inside the top four, with Leclerc second and Hamilton fourth. The Italian team will take encouragement from having both drivers within half a second of Russell, particularly at a circuit where its performance through the corners could be important.
Leclerc’s late improvement secured second place, while Hamilton’s 1:32.773 briefly put him at the head of the timesheets before Russell’s final effort.
Verstappen, meanwhile, finished sixth in 1:33.006. Although the Red Bull driver was 0.732 seconds off the leading time, he was the fastest driver to record his best lap on the medium compound. Hadjar also used the medium tyres for his quickest effort, finishing eighth.
Verstappen arrives after taking Red Bull’s first victory of the season at Sepang, but Singapore remains a notable omission from his career achievements: he has yet to secure either pole position or a race win at Marina Bay. Madrid, which joined the calendar this year, is the other circuit where he has not achieved either milestone.
The differing tyre strategies make it difficult to judge Red Bull’s outright pace from this session alone, leaving Sprint Qualifying as a more revealing test of its position relative to Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren.
Gasly And Lawson Lead The Midfield
Alpine and Racing Bulls both placed a driver in the top 10, with Pierre Gasly ninth and Liam Lawson 10th. Their performances suggest the two teams could be in the mix for the final points-paying positions, although the midfield gaps remain close enough for the order to change.
Oliver Bearman was 11th for Haas, followed by Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad and Haas team-mate Esteban Ocon.
Fernando Alonso finished 14th for Aston Martin after spending part of the session inside the top 10, while Carlos Sainz led Williams in 15th. Gabriel Bortoleto was 16th for Audi, ahead of Alexander Albon, with Nico Hülkenberg 18th after his running was interrupted.
Franco Colapinto finished 19th for Alpine, ahead of Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll. Cadillac occupied the final two positions, with Sergio Perez 21st and Valtteri Bottas 22nd.
Hülkenberg Stoppage Interrupts Practice
Despite the barriers lining much of the Marina Bay circuit, the session was relatively incident-free. However, Hülkenberg’sAudi suffered a mechanical problem with less than 20 minutes remaining.
The German reported over team radio that “something bad happened on the gearbox” before losing drive and stopping near the pit-lane exit.
His car was rolled back into the pits under a brief Virtual Safety Car, interrupting the session as teams continued their longer runs before concentrating on qualifying simulations.
Norris and Stroll also explored the run-off areas earlier in the hour, while Antonelli’s late excursion at Turn 16 highlighted the fine margins involved on Singapore’s unforgiving street circuit.
Away from the track, the event is taking place amid air-quality concerns caused by haze from wildfires in Indonesia. The fires have been linked primarily to slash-and-burn practices used to clear vegetation, with elevated pollution levels prompting advice for Singapore residents to limit outdoor activities.
Singapore GP Practice Results
Pos.
Driver
Team
Time / Gap
1
George Russell
Mercedes
1:32.274
2
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari
+0.198s
3
Lando Norris
McLaren
+0.273s
4
Lewis Hamilton
Ferrari
+0.499s
5
Oscar Piastri
McLaren
+0.564s
6
Max Verstappen
Red Bull
+0.732s
7
Kimi Antonelli
Mercedes
+1.251s
8
Isack Hadjar
Red Bull
+1.449s
9
Pierre Gasly
Alpine
+1.764s
10
Liam Lawson
Racing Bulls
+1.881s
11
Oliver Bearman
Haas
+2.057s
12
Arvid Lindblad
Racing Bulls
+2.202s
13
Esteban Ocon
Haas
+2.207s
14
Fernando Alonso
Aston Martin
+2.221s
15
Carlos Sainz
Williams
+2.377s
16
Gabriel Bortoleto
Audi
+2.462s
17
Alexander Albon
Williams
+2.531s
18
Nico Hülkenberg
Audi
+2.610s
19
Franco Colapinto
Alpine
+2.709s
20
Lance Stroll
Aston Martin
+2.994s
21
Sergio Perez
Cadillac
+3.025s
22
Valtteri Bottas
Cadillac
+3.346s
