George Russell topped the sole practice session at the Singapore Grand Prix, edging out Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 0.198 seconds as Mercedes seeks to recover from what team principal Toto Wolff described as their “worst weekend of the season” in Malaysia. Russell, who will start Sunday’s race from the back of the grid following a power unit change, set the benchmark on a hot, dusty Marina Bay Street Circuit where conditions are considered largely unrepresentative of qualifying and race pace.
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli finished seventh, over a second off the pace, though the rookie did not run the soft compound and made an error at the close of the session. Mercedes has adopted a split specification strategy for the weekend: Russell has reverted to the pre-Malaysia car configuration without the recent upgrade package, while Antonelli retains the new parts, including a revised front wing.
McLaren’s Lando Norris appears back in contention at the front, sitting third just 0.273 seconds adrift of Russell. The team believes it has resolved the straight-line speed deficit that limited Norris to just two points across the previous two race weekends.
Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari should be in the fight at the front this weekend
Lewis Hamilton was half a second behind in fourth on a circuit where Ferrari is expected to be competitive given the scarcity of long straights, with Oscar Piastri rounding out the top five for McLaren. Reigning champion Max Verstappen could only manage sixth after Red Bull elected not to run the soft tyres, though the Dutchman was the quickest on the medium compound. Singapore remains the only venue on the current calendar, aside from the newly added Madrid circuit, where Verstappen has yet to secure a pole position or race victory in his Formula 1 career.
Isack Hadjar placed eighth in the sister Red Bull, while Pierre Gasly and Liam Lawson completed the top ten for Alpine and Racing Bulls respectively, setting the stage for a continued battle for the final points-paying positions.
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Look back at some of the most dramatic moments to have taken place at the Singapore Grand Prix
Sprint Qualifying takes place on Friday afternoon, with the session starting at 1:30 PM local time.