Singapore – Free Practice 1: Verstappen the fastest, Bottas and Leclerc stopped

It is under a thick fog in the sky of Singapore, created by forest fires in Indonesia, that the first free practice session of the Grand Prix on the Marina Bay track begins.

The drivers don’t wait long to hit the track and set initial reference times. This urban circuit is long and winding, and getting into the rhythm among the barriers is key to setting good times. That said, this first session is not necessarily indicative of the conditions that await the drivers for qualifying and the race. Indeed, this first outing takes place during the day. Nonetheless, the setup of the cars will be largely refined this morning.

Mercedes in form but Verstappen faster

In the first half-hour, the Mercedes drivers traded the best time with an advantage to Lewis Hamilton at 1:42.412 on Soft tires. Valtteri Bottas wasn’t far behind, as he followed his teammate in 2nd position. The Silver Arrows seemed very comfortable this Friday morning on a track still dusty but constantly improving as the minutes passed. The British driver even clocked a time of 1:40.915 on Hard tires.

But the competition has not said its last word as Max Verstappen in his Red Bull (1:41.938) and then Sebastian Vettel in his Ferrari (1:40.426) take the lead in the standings right under the noses of the Mercedes. The Dutch driver drives the point home with a time of 1:40.259.

Problems at Ferrari

If for Vettel everything seems to be going well, for Charles Leclerc the start of the weekend is more complicated as he has to immobilize his car at his stand after only a few laps on track. A problem with the gearbox was detected on the SF90, ending his morning of testing.

With 20 minutes remaining in the session, during a push lap, Valtteri Bottas lost control of his car at turn 19 after a series of sideways moments. The red flag was brought out to remove the Mercedes, which ended up in the Techpro barriers, breaking its left rear suspension. The Finn had already had a near-miss earlier in the session, but this time the limit was exceeded, much to the dismay of his team.

Alfa Romeos struggling

Behind the three leading Top Teams in the session, the Renaults of Nico Hülkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo vie for the honorable positions along with the Toro Rossos of Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly. It’s a bit more complicated for the McLarens, which are stuck at the back of the standings before eventually joining the fight for the honorable positions. Lando Norris even misses his braking point with a car that seems very stiff but nevertheless records the 8th fastest time behind his teammate Carlos Sainz.

The situation is more concerning for Alfa Romeo as the track doesn’t seem to suit the C38. Kimi Räikkönen painfully secures the 14th time, narrowly behind Antonio Giovinazzi.

The full ranking of FP1 (Free Practice 1):