Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc are set for a fierce battle at the Singapore Grand Prix.
Leclerc was fastest in FP1, but Norris edged him out by 0.058 seconds in FP2. This weekend is crucial for both Ferrari and McLaren as Red Bull struggles.
Red Bull hopes their upgrades will shine in Austin, but they’re off pace in Singapore. Perez was eighth, and Verstappen fifteenth. Verstappen’s car isn’t fully optimized; he ran over kerbs, while Perez used the run-off area. Full loads and engine modes remain unknown. Norris also faced issues, using the run-off zone and clipping the wall.
Norris needs to close his 59-point gap to Verstappen in the World Championship by maximizing this weekend. He must survive another Ferrari challenge to do so. Tsunoda had a strong session with P4, and Piastri completed the top five.
FP2 was the most realistic practice session of the weekend under floodlights, similar to qualifying and race conditions.
What happened during FP2 in Singapore?
Williams showed good pace early on. After a strong FP1, Albon topped the timesheets in the first 15 minutes. Verstappen made a mistake but avoided major drama by using the runoff space. Hamilton reported issues with rear grip in corners 7, 8, 9, and 13.
Leclerc picked up speed on medium tires, going half a second faster than Albon with three purple sectors. Albon then switched to soft tires to beat that time. Russell’s Mercedes went into limp mode with 35 minutes left but recovered before pitting.
Ferrari drivers and Norris led the timesheet during long runs. Some drivers hit walls; Norris said on radio he hit it “pretty hard” but kept running. Russell lost his front wing hitting the wall but reversed out safely.
Fans might think this news shows how unpredictable racing can be.
The session was full of surprises and challenges for many teams .
What do you think about these developments?
