Practice 3 Report - Verstappen leads tight final practice

Max Verstappen
© Red Bull

Max Verstappen set the fastest time in final practice for the Singapore Grand Prix, as the Red Bull driver edged McLaren’s Oscar Piastri by just 0.017s in a session punctuated by another crash for Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson.

The early part of FP3 was led by McLaren’s Lando Norris, who produced a 1m31.021s on medium tyres. Verstappen responded with a 1m31.358s on the same compound, while Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton slotted in close behind with a 1m31.448s. Despite the warm afternoon conditions being unrepresentative of qualifying, teams concentrated on soft-tyre performance knowing grid position is paramount around Marina Bay.

Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli was the first to dip into the 1m30s bracket on softs with a 1m30.760s, before Charles Leclerc improved to 1m30.651s. Norris and Verstappen soon lowered the bar further, Norris setting a 1m30.292s before Verstappen’s 1m30.148s went unbeaten at the flag.

Piastri came closest with a late 1m30.165s, underlining McLaren’s potential on a weekend when the team can secure a second consecutive constructors’ championship. George Russell was third fastest with a 1m30.197s, though he admitted he still lacked confidence at Turn 16 following his FP2 crash.

Antonelli and Norris set identical times of 1m30.237s, classified fourth and fifth respectively. Williams’ Carlos Sainz was sixth on 1m30.392s, narrowly ahead of Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar in seventh with 1m30.489s. Hamilton placed eighth at 1m30.559s, followed by Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg with 1m30.637s. Leclerc rounded out the top 10 on 1m30.651s.

Further down, Alex Albon was 11th with 1m30.668s for Williams, edging Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto on 1m30.697s. Haas duo Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman were close together in 13th and 14th, both in the 1m30.7–1m30.8 range. Aston Martin had Fernando Alonso 15th at 1m30.923s and Lance Stroll 17th at 1m31.260s, sandwiching Alpine’s Franco Colapinto.

Yuki Tsunoda endured a subdued session in the second Red Bull, finishing 18th with 1m31.440s. Pierre Gasly was 19th for Alpine on 1m31.643s, while Lawson ended slowest at 1m33.628s after crashing early. His Turn 7 incident caused a red flag, leaving his team with significant repair work before qualifying.

Hamilton faces a post-session investigation for a potential red-flag infringement, adding intrigue ahead of qualifying later today. With seven different teams in the top nine and the leading ten covered by half a second, the session reinforced the tight margins expected under the lights for qualifying in Singapore.