Norris splits Ferrari pair at top after pit stop practice problem delays Piastri · RaceFans

Charles Leclerc set the best time of the opening practice session for the Singapore Grand Prix, less than a tenth quicker than Lando Norris around a dusty track.

The drivers’ first session of the weekend took place in broad daylight with a dusty Marina Bay circuit awaiting them. But not everyone was able to join the track when the green light appeared at the end of the pit lane.

McLaren suffered a problem with Oscar Piastri’s car during their routine pit stop practice before the session began. A left-rear wheel stuck on and attempts to remove it without damaging the corner prevented him from getting out onto the circuit early. To the team’s relief, he was able to join the track before his session was seriously disrupted.

Valtteri Bottas was unhappy with several of his rivals getting in his way. First Franco Colapinto appeared to impede him at the end of the lap, before Perez got in his way on a later attempt.

Norris used the soft tyres to go even faster with a 1’32.165, despite having several slides over the course of the lap. Charles Leclerc used the softs to almost match Norris’s time, as team mate Carlos Sainz Jnr went third behind him.

Leclerc improved to a 1’31.763, just beating Norris by under a tenth of a second. That would prove the fastest time of the opening hour, as teams turned their attention to longer runs over the final third of the session.

Several drivers had complaints about their braking performance over in the latter part of practice. Perez was unhappy with his right-front wheel’s braking performance, demonstrated by a major lock-up into turn 13. Both Haas drivers also expressed unhappiness with their braking, while Lewis Hamilton after his struggles in Baku, was not pleased with the lack of traction in his Mercedes.

At the chequered flag, Leclerc was confirmed as the quickest driver of the session with Norris splitting the two Ferraris. Max Verstappen was fourth-fastest with Yuki Tsunoda fifth for RB. Piastri was sixth ahead of Daniel Ricciardo, Alexander Albon and Fernando Alonso with Esteban Ocon completing the top ten.

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