Source – Planetf1.com
In the third and final practice session before the Singapore Grand Prix, McLaren driver Lando Norris set the fastest time, nearly half a second clear of nearest rival George Russell, while Ferrari’s pace appeared to have dropped.
Lando Norris led a thrilling FP3 session in Singapore, sending a clear message to his rivals as he topped the final practice ahead of George Russell and Oscar Piastri. After a dramatic Friday where Norris and Charles Leclerc traded blows at the top of the timesheets, the question on everyone’s mind was: could anyone rise to challenge the McLaren and Ferrari duo as preparations for qualifying ramped up?
The session kicked off at 1730 local time, with a serene yet slightly unusual start. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll had the track to themselves, except for an unexpected guest—a lizard that decided to stroll across the circuit. This triggered a brief red flag period as marshals scrambled to escort the reptile to safety.
Once the lizard drama subsided, the pace quickly picked up. Most drivers initially opted for medium tyres, with Kick Sauber making an early gamble on the softs. Oscar Piastri looked instantly at ease, clocking the early benchmark and sounding pleased with his McLaren’s performance. Max Verstappen, however, was hot on his heels, feeling far more comfortable in his RB20, vaulting into the top spot with a tidy lap.
Drama wasn’t far away. Pierre Gasly flirted with disaster, narrowly avoiding the barriers after a close call in his Alpine. “Woah, that was close,” Gasly exclaimed over the radio. But not everyone had such luck. Replays showed Alex Albon in the Williams scraping the wall, forcing his return to the pits for a damage assessment.
At the session’s midpoint, Leclerc once again showcased Ferrari’s pace, putting in a 1m 31.525s lap to edge Verstappen by a tenth. But while Leclerc surged to the top, there were more moments of drama behind. George Russell missed his braking point at Turn 14 and went straight on, while Piastri’s McLaren endured a wild slide after bouncing aggressively over the kerbs.
Norris, meanwhile, looked unphased. On his soft-shod run, he laid down an eye-popping lap of 1m 29.646s—nearly half a second clear of the field. As the clock ticked down, all eyes were on Ferrari, hoping for a late surge. Carlos Sainz was nearly 1.2 seconds off Norris’ pace, slotting into sixth, while Leclerc’s first flying attempt was aborted before eventually securing fifth, nearly a second adrift of the McLaren.
Despite the flurry of activity, no one could dethrone Norris. He held on to P1, with Russell and Piastri rounding out the top three. Verstappen had to settle for fourth, his Red Bull falling just short of the frontrunners’ pace. Ferrari completed the top six with Leclerc and Sainz in fifth and sixth, respectively.
There was a slight improvement for Lewis Hamilton, who managed seventh after a tough Friday. The Williams duo of Albon and rookie Franco Colapinto impressed in eighth and ninth, with Colapinto narrowly missing out on beating his more experienced teammate by just 0.040s. Alonso completed the top 10 for Aston Martin.
Yuki Tsunoda finished just outside the top 10 in 11th for Red Bull, leading the Haas pair of Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen. Gasly and Sergio Perez struggled to find rhythm, ending the session in 14th and 15th. Esteban Ocon could only manage 16th in his Alpine, ahead of Daniel Ricciardo, who is under pressure this weekend in 17th.
The order was completed by Lance Stroll, Valtteri Bottas, and Zhou Guanyu in what was a session packed with close calls and dramatic moments. Now, all eyes turn to qualifying at 2100 local time, where the teams will look to convert their final practice pace into a prime starting spot for the Singapore Grand Prix.
The stage is set for a thrilling Saturday night under the lights in Marina Bay. With Norris showing the pace, Ferrari and Mercedes lurking, and Verstappen hunting for answers, the battle for pole is shaping up to be a spectacular showdown.
