George Russell set the pace in the only free practice session of the 2026 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix. On the Marina Bay street circuit, the Mercedes driver posted the fastest lap ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and McLaren’s Lando Norris, providing an early indication of the competitive order before Sprint Qualifying.
The British driver recorded a best time of 1:32.274, finishing 0.198 seconds ahead of Leclerc and 0.273 seconds clear of Norris. The result highlighted Mercedes’ competitiveness, although the different tyre strategies adopted by the teams made it difficult to establish a definitive pecking order.
Ferrari Shows Strong Pace as Leclerc Outpaces Hamilton
Ferrari made a promising start to the Singapore Grand Prix weekend, placing both cars inside the top four. Charles Leclerc finished second, demonstrating strong confidence around the demanding Marina Bay circuit, while Lewis Hamilton secured fourth place, 0.499 seconds behind Russell.
The performance provided encouraging signs for the Maranello-based team ahead of Sprint Qualifying. On a circuit where precision, mechanical grip and tyre management play a crucial role, Ferrari appeared to have established a competitive baseline.
Lando Norris claimed third place for McLaren, while teammate Oscar Piastri completed the top five, finishing 0.564 seconds off the fastest time.
Mercedes Leads as Antonelli Evaluates Latest Upgrades
Mercedes followed different technical programmes with its two drivers during the session. Russell ran an earlier specification of the car, while Kimi Antonelli continued evaluating the team’s latest upgrade package.
The young Italian finished seventh, 1.251 seconds behind his teammate. However, the gap was largely influenced by their different tyre choices, with Russell switching to soft tyres in the closing stages while Antonelli continued running on the medium compound.
Earlier comparisons on hard tyres had shown a much smaller difference between the two Mercedes drivers, with just 0.056 seconds separating them.
The contrasting programmes provided valuable information for the team ahead of the competitive sessions, particularly on a circuit where finding the right balance between aerodynamic performance and mechanical grip is essential.
Verstappen Sixth as Red Bull Searches for More Performance
Max Verstappen endured a less convincing session, finishing sixth and failing to match the pace of the leading contenders.
The Red Bull driver ended practice 0.732 seconds behind Russell, suggesting there was still work to do before Sprint Qualifying.
Antonelli finished immediately behind Verstappen, followed by Isack Hadjar in eighth place in the other Red Bull. Pierre Gasly secured ninth for Alpine, while Liam Lawson completed the top ten for Racing Bulls.
The results left several questions surrounding Red Bull’s potential at Marina Bay, a circuit that demands high downforce, strong braking stability and careful management of tyre temperatures.
Sprint Format Leaves Teams With Limited Preparation Time
The Singapore Grand Prix weekend features the Sprint format, giving teams just one 60-minute free practice session before Sprint Qualifying.
As a result, Friday’s running was particularly important for gathering data on car behaviour, evaluating tyre compounds and refining setups ahead of the competitive sessions.
With limited preparation time, teams must make crucial technical decisions based on relatively little track running, increasing the importance of both simulator work and the information collected during practice.
Mercedes heads into Sprint Qualifying with the fastest lap courtesy of Russell, but Ferrari and McLaren have also demonstrated promising performance.
The next session will provide a clearer indication of which teams are genuinely capable of fighting for the leading positions around the Marina Bay street circuit.