![\"Max](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/max-verstappen-red-bull-racing.jpg\")
<\/p>\nGeorge Russell finished fastest in the only free practice session of Formula 1\u2019s Singapore Grand Prix, but Max Verstappen was half a second quicker than anyone on medium tyres.<\/p>\n
This was the only non-competitive running on the sprint Singapore weekend, albeit held in unrepresentative conditions \u2013 53C track temperature \u2013 with regards to both upcoming qualifying sessions and the main race, which will be held at night.<\/p>\n
Everyone therefore rushed out on track when the light went green at the end of the\u00a0pitlane, with all cars but the Cadillacs on hard tyres, and started chasing the limits.<\/p>\n
With the white-walled compound,\u00a0Kimi Antonelli set the pace with a time of 1m33.830s, outpacing Ferrari\u2019s Charles Leclerc by 0.034s and Mercedes team-mate Russell by 0.056s.\u00a0Isack Hadjar was fourth, having complained that his Red Bull bottomed too much, especially in braking zones, and that his throttle pedal was slippery. Oscar\u00a0Piastri, Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton followed within 0.6s of the benchmark.<\/p>\n
Everyone else was more than a second down, starting with midfield leader\u00a0Nico Hulkenberg for Audi. Verstappen was down in ninth, followed by Pierre Gasly and Fernando Alonso; Liam Lawson and Esteban Ocon were another couple of tenths adrift.<\/p>\n
But Hulkenberg stopped on the main straight with 20 minutes to go, indicating on the radio: \u201cSomething bad happened on the gearbox.\u201d He was pulled into the pitlane while the virtual safety car neutralised the session.<\/p>\n
Cars kept lapping on hard\u00a0tyres, with Lawson jumping to ninth ahead of Verstappen, until softer rubber was fitted on for the last 15 minutes of the session.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing<\/p>\n
Photo by: Joe Portlock \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n
Despite running the older Mercedes specification, Russell was fastest by far on soft\u00a0tyres, setting a 1m32.274s. This was two tenths faster than Leclerc and Norris, while Hamilton and Piastri were half a second adrift. They were the only five drivers to run the soft compound, except the Cadillac racers, who propped up the order.<\/p>\n
Verstappen led the medium-tyre running in sixth with a 1m33.006s, half a second faster than championship leader Antonelli, who ran into the Turn 16 escape road on his final flying lap. Hadjar was seven tenths slower than his Red Bull team-mate.<\/p>\n
Also on medium\u00a0tyres, Gasly led the midfield for Alpine on a 1m34.038s, with Racing Bulls\u2019 Lawson one tenth down and Haas\u2019 Oliver Bearman three tenths adrift. Aston Martin, Williams and Audi were closely matched, albeit further down the order \u2013 but the green squad\u2019s progress was entirely down to Alonso, given Lance Stroll struggled with his brakes.<\/p>\n
F1 Singapore GP FP1 Results
\nAll Stats<\/p>\n
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