F1 Singapore: Russell tops practice in old-spec Mercedes
The newsroomUpdated on October 9, 20263 minSingapore GP F1: George Russell sets the fastest time in the only practice session, 1'32.274, in the old-specification Mercedes, ahead of Leclerc and Norris.
Key point
At the Singapore GP, George Russell, in the old-specification Mercedes, sets the fastest time of the only practice session: 1'32.274.
George Russell (Mercedes) set the fastest time in the only free practice session of the Singapore Grand Prix in F1: 1'32.274. The Briton ran the older specification of the Mercedes W17, the one he won with in Baku, while teammate Kimi Antonelli uses the aerodynamic package introduced at Sepang.
The session classification
On this sprint weekend, only one practice session comes before sprint qualifying. According to Grandprix.com, Russell finished 0.198 ahead of Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and 0.273 ahead of Lando Norris (McLaren). He set his time on soft tyres, after a 1'32.864, in the final five minutes.
- George Russell (Mercedes), 1'32.274
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), +0.198
- Lando Norris (McLaren), +0.273
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), +0.499
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren), +0.564
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull), +0.732
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), +1.251
Verstappen, sixth, set his best time on the medium tyre and lost garage time because of radio problems. Antonelli, seventh, also ran the medium and went deep on his final effort.
Why Mercedes is splitting its cars
The Sepang updates did not bring the hoped-for lap-time gain. Antonelli finished second there, while Russell was heading for the podium before retiring. Russell had proposed this back-to-back before Malaysia and called the decision a "no-brainer", according to Formula1.com. Antonelli, who runs the front wing that completes the update, considers Sepang an outlier and expects more representative conditions in Singapore, with more slow corners.
Antonelli leads the championship by 84 points.
A constrained weekend
Russell will start the race from the back of the grid, after the power unit change that followed his engine failure at Sepang. Another incident marked the session: Nico Hülkenberg stopped on track in his Audi with a gearbox problem, which brought out a short Virtual Safety Car.
What to remember
Practice is only an indicator: sprint qualifying, later on Friday, will give the first real picture of the pecking order.
Frequently asked questions
Who was fastest in practice in Singapore?
George Russell (Mercedes), in 1'32.274, ahead of Charles Leclerc (+0.198) and Lando Norris (+0.273).
Why do the two Mercedes cars run different specifications?
Mercedes wants to compare the old version with the one introduced at Sepang, which did not deliver the expected gains.
Where will Russell start on Sunday?
From the back of the grid, after the power unit change that followed his retirement at Sepang.
Sources
- Grandprix.com — Singapore practice report
- Formula1.com — Russell beats Leclerc and Norris
- Formula1.com — Why Mercedes splits car specifications
- Grandprix.com — Mercedes splits car specifications
Written by the Karrazmotorsport newsroom, proofread before publication. For settings, always refer to your vehicle's manual. Our charter.
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