Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc set the best times in free practice.
The Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclercmarked their territory on Friday by setting the best times in the first two practice sessions of the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix, ahead of the Red Bulls lagging behind on the Marina Bay urban track. In the Singaporean furnace putting the drivers’ physique to the test, Sainz was ahead of Charles Leclerc in the evening, author of the best time in the first session held earlier, by only 18/1000th. “We must not get carried away because I think our competitors have not yet shown their true rhythm“, however tempered Leclerc.
The Red Bulls lagging behind
Far behind the strong men of the day, the solid leader in the world championship Max Verstappen (Red Bull) finished 8th in the second session, the only one of the weekend representative of qualifying and the race because it was run at night. His Mexican teammate Sergio Pérez, winner of the race last year, was only 7th on Friday evening. “We tried several different things in FP2 (the second session, editor’s note), some worked, others didn’t.“, explained the Dutchman, double reigning champion. And to continue: “we never really managed to get the car ready today, I struggled with the balance in particular, so there are quite a few things to review with the team“. We are now waiting to see the qualifications tomorrow in Singapore.