SINGAPORE GP – Carlos Sainz fastest by seven hundredths in FP3 as Red Bull looks to be on the back foot
Carlos Sainz was fastest in the third practice for the Singapore Grand Prix, the Spaniard set a 32.065 on the soft tyre putting the Ferrari seven hundredths ahead of George Russell. Ferrari has topped all three practice sessions in what is shaping up to be one of the most competitive sessions of the season.
Amid a series of qualifying simulations over the second half of the session as the sun began to fall, Ferrari elected to wait for the track temperature to drop a little more before sending both drivers out for their first attempts at an all-or-nothing flying lap. Sainz however managed to hang on to top the times, despite a late challenge from Russell.
Lando Norris putt his McLaren third, the Englishman nearly aa quarter of a second ahead of Max Verstappen. While Verstappen dominated the European season, they view this weekend as the most difficult hurdle to take a clean sweep, the Dutchman three-tenths off the pace.
Verstappen fumed on his team radio about “unacceptable” gear shifts and had been well adrift of Sainz’s time until his final lap of the session was enough to put him into fourth, three tenths down on the lead Ferrari. The Dutchman also complained about a lack of grip, saying after the session “I think if I’m going to compete in drifting I might win the race.”
Charles Leclerc put his Ferrari fifth, three thousandths behind Verstappen and ahead of Lewis Hamilton by over a tenth and a half. Predictions for tonight’s qualifying session is for another close fight between Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull for pole, but questions remain about Red Bull’s pace this weekend.
Oscar Piastri put his McLaren seventh, going half a second faster than Sergio Perez the Mexican also struggling to control his Red Bull. He described it as “on edge” as he struggled to get the rear end to bite, that left him half a second off the McLaren, he was a tenth ahead of Yuki Tsunoda, the Alpha Tauri rounding out the top ten.
Kevin Magnussen was eleventh going a hundredth ahead of Esteban Ocon. The two Aston Martin’s were thirteenth and fourteenth, Fernando Alonso going nearly a tenth faster than teammate Lance Stroll.
Pierre Gasly was fifteenth ahead of Liam Lawson, Alex Albon the two Alfa Romeo’s with Valtteri Bottas a tenth ahead of Guanyu Zhou. Bottas is under investigation for not following directions regarding the pit entry, where he was seen to drift over the separating kerb onto the circuit before returning to the pit entry line.
Logan Sargeant rounded the field, the Williams driver seven-tenths behind Zhou and a second and a half off the outright pace.