Charles Leclerc set the pace in the first free practice session ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, with the Ferrari driver trailing the McLaren of Lando Norris by just seven hundredths of a second.
Daniel Ricciardo, who is widely rumored to be replaced from the very next race by Liam Lawson, was the first to hit the streets of Singapore, with Oscar Piastri remaining in his team’s garage after an unusual problem with during pit stop practice by his engineers earlier today.
McLaren’s rear left tire appeared to be stuck, with the team stating that this was something they had seen before and that they intended to fully assess the issue to ensure they have no further problems this weekend.
The drivers’ first laps were on the medium and hard Pirelli tyres, with Norris’ first quick lap setting the early benchmark with the medium and a time of 1min 33.903s, half a second ahead of his driver’s championship rival, Max Verstappen.
The slippery conditions, being public roads, resulted in several drivers having their “moments” and being off the track. Leclerc – who has not won in Singapore – put himself on top of the times halfway through FP1 when he pitted on the soft tyres. Norris responded immediately, with the Williams drivers again catching the eye as they once again looked capable of top-10 times.
Results
| Position | Guide | Group | Year | Difference | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:31.763 | 25 | |
| 2 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 1:31.839 | +0.076 sec. | 24 |
| 3 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1:31.952 | +0.189 sec. | 26 |
| 4 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Honda | 1:32.097 | +0.334 sec. | 21 |
| 5 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda | 1:32.263 | +0.500 sec. | 25 |
| 6 | Oscar Plates | McLaren Mercedes | 1:32.369 | +0.606 sec. | 24 |
| 7 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB Honda | 1:32.375 | +0.612 sec. | 20 |
| 8 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 1:32.451 | +0.688 sec. | 24 |
| 9 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Mercedes | 1:32.610 | +0.847 sec. | 25 |
| 10 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault | 1:32.615 | +0.852 sec. | 26 |
| 11 | Frank Colapinto | Williams Mercedes | 1:32.618 | +0.855 sec. | 24 |
| 12 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:32.679 | +0.916 sec. | 23 |
| 13 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 1:32.694 | +0.931 sec. | 26 |
| 14 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Honda | 1:32.767 | +1.004 sec. | 21 |
| 15 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Mercedes | 1:32.778 | +1.015 sec. | 20 |
| 16 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:33.334 | +1.571 sec. | 24 |
| 17 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 1:33.377 | +1.614 sec. | 20 |
| 18 | Valtteri Bottas | Sauber Ferrari | 1:33.485 | +1.722 sec. | 24 |
| 19 | Zhou Guanyu | Sauber Ferrari | 1:33.585 | +1.822 sec. | 23 |
| 20 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas Ferrari | 1:33.797 | +2.034 sec. | 23 |
Source: www.autoblog.gr
