Russell tops sole practice in Singapore
This weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix marks a sprint weekend for the first time in its 18 year history. Already one of the most physically gruelling events in Formula One, these elite drivers have even more of a challenge this year, with just a sole hour of practice to navigate the relentless heat, bumps and 19 corners of the Marina Bay Circuit.
At the hour’s end, it was Mercedes’ George Russell who topped the time sheets with a 1:32.274. The Briton will start from the back of the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix due to taking a new power unit, but he has set himself as a clear contender for sprint pole later today, where he can keep his grid position.
In second was Charles Leclerc for Ferrari, 0.198 seconds behind, and reigning world champion Lando Norris finished the session in third. There was a bigger margin after the top three, with Lewis Hamilton finishing fourth, 0.499 seconds behind Russell and Oscar Piastri finishing fifth.
The top five were the only ones to run the soft tyres, making for a split time sheet. Nonetheless, it still seemed a difficult session for Red Bull, as sixth place Max Verstappen completed his first run without radio comms and Isack Hadjar was P8, continuously complaining about driveability.
The Red Bull pair sandwiched Kimi Antonelli as the championship leader struggled in P7, out-braking himself and taking to the escape road at Turn 16 in the closing stages of the session. The Italian rejoined after finding reverse gear, but trailed his teammate Russell by 1.251 seconds at the session’s end.
There was a familiar site to round out the top ten, with the Alpines and Racing Bulls closely contending for position in their constructor’s battle. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly finished ninth and Liam Lawson was tenth for the Racing Bulls.
Further down the field, Nico Hulkenberg will be compromised going into sprint qualifying, as the German had to bring his Audi to a stop off the start-finish straight due to a technical issue. This happened with 20 minutes remaining, making him the only driver to run solely on the hard tyres.
Looking ahead
One hour of practice flew by, and now it’s straight into sprint qualifying at 20:30 local time. Russell’s Mercedes looks to be the most planted car out on track, but it will be fascinating to see which teams can get it right with their minimal track time.
Any qualifying session under the lights at this circuit is an incredible spectacle; it’s a venue where the drivers can make a huge difference and where the risks are high. The dusty street circuit of Marina Bay is going to see enormous track evolution until the very end of SQ3, making it a fight for sprint pole until the very last second.
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