2024 F1 Singapore Grand Prix, Round 18, FP1: Leclerc leads with 1:31.763, Norris just 0.076s behind, Yuki Tsunoda fifth

The Singapore Grand Prix, round 18 of the 2024 F1 season, got under way at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in the early evening of September 20, China Standard Time (UTC+8). Charles Leclerc topped opening practice with a 1:31.763, with title contender Lando Norris just 0.076 seconds behind in second and Carlos Sainz third. RB made a strong start in its special “denim” livery, with Yuki Tsunoda fifth, 0.5 seconds off the pace.

Conditions at Marina Bay for Friday’s opening practice were dusty, with a damp and slippery track, unlike the post-sunset setting for qualifying and the race. The session was therefore an unreliable guide to the rest of the weekend, but it was no coincidence that Ferrari’s two cars took first and third: the team had been widely tipped to do well ahead of the event thanks to the car’s strong rear end and ability to ride the kerbs. Sainz was 0.189 seconds behind his team-mate, while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was fourth—both he and team-mate Sergio Pérez had awkward lock-ups during the session, with the latter abandoning his timed lap on soft tyres part-way through and finishing only 14th.

The two RB cars ran different test programmes in this session: Tsunoda set the fifth-fastest time in his “denim-liveried” VCARB 01, 0.5 seconds behind the leader, while team-mate Daniel Ricciardo was seventh. Team principal Laurent Mekies said work to extract more from the Monza and Baku upgrades would continue in second practice, with the drivers swapping programmes.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri suffered a minor setback: a “problem” with the left-rear wheel during a practice pit stop caused him to miss about the first 12 minutes of the session. He then brushed the wall out on track, slightly damaging the right-rear wheel cover, but fortunately the damage did not hamper his driving, and he ended the session sixth. Williams’ Alex Albon was eighth and Fernando Alonso ninth, while Alpine’s Esteban Ocon edged Franco Colapinto by just 0.003 seconds to claim the final place in the top 10.

“There’s far too much understeer,” said Lewis Hamilton, who was only 12th, while team-mate George Russell was down in 16th. The two Sauber cars and Haas’s Nico Hülkenberg brought up the rear.

Second practice will take place at 21:00 China Standard Time (UTC+8) that evening.