Max Verstappen didn’t have a top-ten day.
MARINA BAY, Singapore—Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc proved that their cars work well. The former set the fastest time of the Friday practice sessions, clocking a 1:30:727 just ahead of the Monegasque, with Leclerc’s Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz third.
Norris set his quickest time in the evening session in his McLaren as he and Leclerc, who set the fastest time in the opening session, traded the best laps before the Briton made his final time stay for the rest of the evening.
There were no significant incidents until just a few minutes before the end of the second session, when Mercedes George Russell crashed into turn eight, damaging his front wing. He then reversed his car and returned to the pits.
It was an impressive performance for the RB team as both Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo placed in the top ten, finishing fourth and sixth. Norris’s McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, who won the last race, finished in fifth, and despite his incident, Russell took seventh. Sergio Perez was the only Red Bull placer among the top finishers–in eighth–as Max Verstappen finished a surprising 15th. Alex Albon, one of the quickest drivers early in the session, ended up in ninth place as Nico Hulkenberg rounded out the top ten (#10) in his Haas.
ESPN 2 will cover Saturday’s qualifying beginning at 8:55 AM, and Sunday’s race will be televised on ESPN starting at 7:55 AM.
