Russell Leads Leclerc in Singapore Practice as Mercedes Assess Upgrades

George Russell set the pace ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in Singapore Grand Prix practice, but a grid penalty means the Mercedes driver will start Sunday’s race from the back. McLaren and Ferrari also showed promising speed ahead of the weekend’s sprint qualifying.

Russell edges Leclerc in a competitive session

George Russell topped the timesheets in practice for the Singapore Grand Prix, finishing 0.198 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. A late lap from the Monegasque driver moved him into second place, separating an otherwise British-dominated top three.

McLaren’s Lando Norris finished third, 0.273 seconds off Russell’s pace, while Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton took fourth, 0.499 seconds behind the Mercedes driver. Oscar Piastri completed the top five for McLaren.

All five drivers set their fastest times on the soft tyres, making direct comparisons with those using the harder compounds difficult.

Verstappen shows promise on medium tyres

Max Verstappen was the quickest driver on the medium tyres, finishing sixth overall, 0.732 seconds behind Russell. The Red Bull driver was 0.519 seconds faster than Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli, who placed seventh on the same compound.

Isack Hadjar, Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate, finished eighth, followed by Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson. Fernando Alonso briefly featured in the top 10 but eventually dropped to 14th.

With teams following different tyre strategies, the session offered only limited evidence of the competitive order. Sprint qualifying was scheduled for 13:30 BST, making the practice session the only opportunity to gather data before the first major competitive session of the weekend.

Grid penalty complicates Russell’s weekend

Despite leading practice, Russell faces a major obstacle in Sunday’s race. The Mercedes driver is set to start from the back of the grid after exceeding the permitted allocation of engine components.

The penalty follows an engine failure while Russell was running third late in the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. The setback leaves him with a difficult recovery task, even if Mercedes can maintain the pace demonstrated in Singapore.

Russell and Antonelli are also running different car specifications. Russell has reverted to an earlier version, while Antonelli is using the latest aerodynamic package introduced in Malaysia.

The comparison is intended to help Mercedes assess whether its upgrade package is delivering the expected improvement. The team struggled for pace in Malaysia despite anticipating a step forward, making the Singapore weekend an important opportunity to understand the difference between the two configurations.

Red Bull arrives with renewed confidence

Red Bull heads into the weekend after Verstappen secured the team’s first victory of the season at Sepang. The Dutchman showed flashes of speed during practice in Singapore, although his medium-tyre lap left him behind the leading soft-tyre runners.

The team will hope to translate that performance into a competitive result, while McLaren and Ferrari will be encouraged by their presence near the top of the timesheets.

However, the differences in tyre compounds and car setups mean qualifying will provide a clearer indication of the pecking order.

Haze raises concerns away from the track

The race weekend is also taking place amid air-quality warnings in Singapore. Haze from wildfires in Indonesia, linked largely to illegal slash-and-burn practices used to clear vegetation, has contributed to severe pollution in the city-state.

Residents have been advised to limit outdoor activities as air quality deteriorates. The conditions add an environmental concern to a weekend already shaped by technical questions, tyre strategies and Russell’s grid penalty.

With sprint qualifying approaching, Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull will be looking to establish their true competitiveness before the weekend’s main events.