Charles Leclerc leads the first practice session in Singapore, showcasing strong performance while Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz follow close behind, leaving Verstappen with challenges.
Charles Leclerc made a strong start in Singapore by setting the fastest time in the first practice session ahead of Sunday's race in the city-state. The Ferrari driver, who was the runner-up to McLaren's Oscar Piastri in Azerbaijan last weekend, narrowly beat Lando Norris for the top spot. Norris, who is 59 points behind Max Verstappen in the championship standings with seven races remaining, finished just 0.076 seconds slower than Leclerc.
Carlos Sainz, Leclerc's teammate, secured third place, finishing just ahead of Verstappen. The three-time world champion, who has not won any of the last seven races, concluded the hour-long session 0.334 seconds behind Leclerc. Norris advanced from 15th to fourth place in Baku five days prior, finishing ahead of Verstappen and maintaining his championship aspirations. The British driver had a positive start to his weekend, finishing nearly three tenths faster than Verstappen, as McLaren and Ferrari showcased an early advantage.
Verstappen has yet to secure a victory in Formula 1's inaugural night race, and the Red Bull driver acknowledged on Thursday that the uneven and slow-speed track is not likely to be favorable for his unstable car. His teammate, Sergio Perez, expressed frustration at one point, indicating he was having difficulty controlling his vehicle, ultimately finishing in 14th position, a second behind Leclerc. The Mercedes team also faced challenges during the first session, with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell placing 12th and 16th, respectively. Hamilton mentioned experiencing 'too much understeer' and voiced his concerns over the radio, stating, 'you guys have to fix this, man,' while lamenting the traction issues with his Silver Arrows.
In other results, Yuki Tsunoda secured fifth place for RB, while Piastri took sixth and Daniel Ricciardo came in seventh. At 35 years old, Ricciardo may be participating in his last F1 race as there is increasing speculation regarding his potential replacement by New Zealand RB reserve driver Liam Lawson. The final session of the day is scheduled for 21:00 local time (2pm BST).
