George Russell was fastest in the only Singapore practice session, 0.198s quicker than Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, ahead of Sprint Qualifying later on Friday. Russell will start at the back of the grid for Sunday's race due to a power unit change. Mercedes are looking to bounce back from what team boss Toto Wolff called their "worst weekend of the season" in Malaysia.
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli was over one second off the pace in seventh, but he did not run the soft tyres and made a mistake at the end of practice. Mercedes have reverted Russell to the pre-Malaysia car, so he does not carry the big upgrade package, while Antonelli has kept the new parts and a new front wing.
Lando Norris was just 0.273s behind Russell, suggesting McLaren may have resolved the straight-line speed issue that cost him points in recent races. Lewis Hamilton was half a second back in fourth, on a track where Ferrari should be competitive due to the lack of straights at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. Oscar Piastri was fifth.
Max Verstappen, last week's race winner, was sixth after Red Bull opted against the soft tyres, but he was the fastest driver on the mediums. Singapore is the only track, apart from Madrid, where Verstappen has yet to take a pole position or win. Isack Hadjar was eighth, while Pierre Gasly and Liam Lawson were ninth and 10th as Alpine and Racing Bulls continue their fight for the final points positions. Sprint Qualifying is on Friday at 1.30pm, live on Sky Sports F1.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing