2016 F1 Round 15 Singapore GP FP1, Verstappen Heads Red Bull One-Two as Rosberg Hits Wall

First practice for the 2016 Singapore Grand Prix began at the Marina Bay Street Circuit on Friday evening. Max Verstappen led with a 1:45.823, just 0.049 seconds ahead of Daniel Ricciardo, as Red Bull took the top two places.

Archive image of Mercedes celebrating Rosberg’s 200th Grand Prix during the 2016 Singapore Grand Prix weekend

Sebastian Vettel was third, 0.464 seconds off the lead. Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg were fourth and fifth. Both Mercedes drivers set their best laps on harder compounds, while the ultrasoft was the fastest tyre in the session, giving tyre choice an important role in interpreting the final order.

Early in practice, Rosberg and Hamilton took turns setting the fastest lap, with Vettel also running near the front. Red Bull gradually picked up speed on ultrasofts. Ricciardo posted a 1:45.872 before Verstappen went another 0.049 seconds quicker.

With around 12 minutes remaining, Rosberg locked his front wheels before Turn 18 and hit the tyre barrier, damaging his front wing and suffering a left-front puncture. He drove back to the pits and remained fifth on the strength of his earlier time.

Kimi Räikkönen was sixth, with Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz and Daniil Kvyat seventh and eighth. Felipe Massa took ninth and Esteban Gutiérrez tenth as the midfield began its first comparisons on the narrow street circuit.

Fernando Alonso brushed the barrier but still finished 11th. Jenson Button’s McLaren came to a halt on the circuit at one stage. The team brought the car back to the pits and returned it to practice, and Button ended up 16th.

A suspected energy recovery system problem restricted Romain Grosjean to two laps. His official classification entry showed 22nd position and a blank lap time, while team-mate Gutiérrez reached the top ten.

Red Bull ended first practice with a tiny gap between its cars at the top, followed by Vettel. Night-time track temperatures and tyre choices could still reshape the pace order, and Mercedes would need second practice to assess its true competitiveness on ultrasofts.