Charles Leclerc is fastest by 0.078 seconds ahead of Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz; Max Verstappen third and Lando Norris fourth in the updated McLaren. The Lizards on track raise the yellow flag twice. Watch second practice on Sky Sports F1 from 1.45pm
Written by Jonathan Green in Singapore
Last updated: 09/15/23 at 11:44 AM
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A lizard on the track raised the yellow flag in first practice before the Singapore Grand Prix
A lizard on the track raised the yellow flag in first practice before the Singapore Grand Prix
Charles Leclerc was able to gain the lead ahead of his Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz during a tightly contested opening practice session at the Singapore Grand Prix.
Leclerc clocked a best of 1:33.350 on the soft tire to top the timesheets, but Sainz was 0.078 seconds behind his teammate.
Max Verstappen, who is seeking a record 11th consecutive win this weekend, finished third in the Red Bull lead, 0.126 seconds behind Leclerc.
Driving a significantly updated McLaren, Lando Norris was fourth quickest and just ahead of Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes.
With the first practice taking place in daylight, representative times are difficult to judge ahead of the main night sessions for Saturday’s qualifying and Sunday’s race, but with less than a tenth of a second covered by the top five drivers and four different teams, it gives hope of a tight battle for the rest of the weekend. .
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Sky F1’s Ted Kravitz explains the latest upgrades teams have made to their cars ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix
The session was twice briefly disrupted by yellow flags caused by lizards running on the track, with Verstappen avoiding a collision with one.
George Russell finished sixth in the second Mercedes, one and a half tenths behind his teammate Hamilton’s time.
Russell’s hot lap on the soft tire was hampered by a collision with the back of a slow-moving Red Bull, with the Briton venting his frustration on the team radio.
Sergio Perez finished seventh, 0.375 seconds behind Leclerc’s time at the top of the session, before falling three-tenths of a second behind Fernando Alonso, Yuki Tsunoda and Esteban Ocon, who completed the top ten.
While Norris was fourth in the updated McLaren, his teammate Oscar Piastri dropped to 19th, with the Australian not receiving the new parts until next weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.
More to follow…
