Fernando Alonso shocked everyone by dominating the first practice session at the Singapore Grand Prix, beating out Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen with a blistering lap time.
The 43-year-old Spaniard’s 1.31.116 was untouchable, putting him a solid 0.150 seconds ahead of Leclerc in second place. Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton rounded out the top four.
McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris claimed fifth and sixth positions.
Rookie Isack Hadjar impressed with a seventh-place finish, while Carlos Sainz, Yuki Tsunoda, and Esteban Ocon completed the top ten.
## Albon’s Fiery Exit Mars Dry Session
Despite earlier rainfall at Marina Bay Street Circuit, the track had dried enough for teams to start on hard tires as practice began.
Alex Albon’s session ended almost before it started.
Just ten minutes in, a rear brake failure sent his Williams up in smoke, forcing him to abandon the car and sit out the remainder of practice. The pit lane briefly filled with smoke as mechanics rushed to contain the situation.
Norris set the early pace on the hard tires, clocking a 1.32.493 that was barely faster than Verstappen’s time – just 0.021 seconds separated them.
Alonso, already showing signs of his coming performance, sat third on medium tires, only 0.099 seconds behind Norris despite not using the same compound.
## Ferrari Shows Singapore Strength
When teams switched to soft tires for the second half of the session, Leclerc immediately showcased Ferrari’s potential on the street circuit.
The Monegasque driver laid down a 1.31.266, smashing Norris’ earlier time by four-tenths of a second and setting what looked like an unbeatable benchmark.
Verstappen could only manage a time 0.126 seconds slower than Leclerc when he made his soft-tire run.
Meanwhile, rookie Hadjar raised eyebrows by briefly holding fifth position, ahead of the more experienced Sainz and Hamilton.
Piastri briefly jumped to third before Alonso delivered the session’s biggest surprise.
The two-time world champion, driving machinery few expected to compete at the front, suddenly vaulted to the top spot in his Aston Martin with what would become the session’s fastest time.
Leclerc and Verstappen both improved their times in the final minutes, but neither could match Alonso’s pace – a remarkable turnaround for a team that’s struggled to find performance in recent races.
