Unexpected surprises: Singapore Friday Report
- Maham Mir
- 3 minutes ago
- 3 min read
By Maham Mir
Formula One went under the lights for the first day of the Singapore Grand Prix weekend. As the original night race on the calendar, action on the street circuit never disappoints. A heat hazard warning has been issued by the FIA which requires drivers and teams to follow specific rules according to the sporting regulation.
Arriving from another street circuit in Baku, all 20 drivers will be hoping to dazzle and win all important points for their teams. For McLaren specifically, they will be hoping to achieve what they couldn’t last time around and win their 10th World Constructors’ Championship title.
Practice one: Aston Martin’s surprise
The first practice session saw a surprise appearance by Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso who finished at the top of the timesheets with a 1:31.116. Completing the top three was Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
It is important to remember that FP1 is not the most representative session of the weekend, the conditions of qualifying and the race are most similar to FP2 where teams often practice qualifying simulations and race runs.
Alex Albon’s Williams faced a tough start to the weekend after rear brake issues and a subsequent fire saw him relegated to the sidelines for the first hour of practice. Meanwhile, his teammate, Carlos Sainz who finished on the podium in Baku, enjoyed a more successful session and finished P8 to show what Williams are capable of this weekend.
Racing Bulls were hoping to do well on this track and continue their good run of form in Singapore. Isack Hadjar, who suffered a disappointing weekend in Baku by finishing outside the points, finished P7 and ahead of teammate Liam Lawson.
Mercedes had a quiet first session as George Russell finished P11 and Kimi Antonelli finished P14. Both drivers will be hoping for a clean weekend to help contract discussions with teamboss Toto Wolff as neither driver is currently contracted to drive for the team in 2026.
With a surprise appearance at the top of the timesheets by Alonso and Ferrari continuing their upward trajectory since the return from the summer break, the streets of Singapore gave a hint of the possible battles fans could see this weekend.
Practice two: Piastri dazzles under the lights
As the most representative practice session of the weekend, all the teams were eager to hit the ground running for valuable qualifying simulations and race runs ahead of Saturday and Sunday’s sessions. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri led the pack with a 1:30.714. Hadjar’s Racing Bulls slotted into second place and Red Bull’s Verstappen rounded out the top three, only 0.143s separated the top three.
The quiet run for Mercedes did not continue as George Russell caused a yellow and subsequent red flag after colliding with the barriers. As a result, he lost his front wing and punctured one of his wheels. This damage as well as other undisclosed damage prematurely ended his running.
At one stage of FP2, Racing Bulls were running P3 and P4 with Lawson leading teammate Hadjar. However, Lawson brought out the second red flag of the session after colliding with the wall. There was extensive damage to his Racing Bulls car and he did not rejoin the session.
The action was not limited to the track as Charles Leclerc hit Lando Norris in the pitlane when the session resumed after the second red flag. As a consequence, Leclerc was noted for an unsafe release by the stewards.
Alonso continued Aston Martin's good run from FP1 despite multiple disrupted laps due to the yellow and red flags. He ultimately finished the session in P4 with teammate Lance Stroll in P6, making the Aston Martin a points contender this weekend.
The second Friday session showed that the pack is perhaps closer than ever before, with the usual top teams being challenged by new names. With the end of the one representative session of the weekend, Mercedes and Racing Bulls especially will be hoping for an uninterrupted session tomorrow to make up for lost time.
Looking ahead:
On a track that is notoriously difficult to overtake on, Saturday’s qualifying is all important and it seems there’s a range of teams in the mix for pole position. While McLaren led the pack, the pace of Verstappen’s Red Bull, Leclerc's Ferrari and Alonso’s Aston Martin cannot be ignored. It is all to play for across the grid in Saturday's qualifying session and Sunday’s race.
