In recent Grands Prix, at the end of the first day of free practice, there has often been talk of uncertainty, as the field appeared extremely close. In contrast, the Singapore track, which is very specific and selective in some aspects, has made it clearer what the values are among the contenders for victory and, most likely, also for the podium, with Ferrari and McLaren in the spotlight since the first practice session.
This battle continued in the night session, under the artificial lights of Marina Bay, when the track temperatures dropped, getting closer to what should be seen on Saturday and Sunday during the sessions that will really count. Only 58 thousandths separate Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc, with a tight battle on the horizon, although there are still points for analysis.
Carlos Sainz, on the other hand, was further behind, third but six-tenths off the top, although much of the gap was accumulated in specific sections, like turn 8, the braking point at turn 13, where the two drivers from Maranello tried different trajectories today, and the final section leading onto the straight. Additionally, the Spaniard encountered technical issues with the brakes, a topic already noted in other events this season. Similarly, Oscar Piastri also found it more difficult to extract the maximum performance from his MCL38.
Looking at the two best laps of the day, the first thing that stands out is just how few thousandths separate Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris, even though the drivers generally make a difference in different areas of the track. The data suggests that Ferrari is more effective in sharp corners, like the 90° turns or, more generally, those that don’t require much work from the front axle. In sections like turn 3, turn 9, or turn 10, where greater stability and precision are required, the MCL38 manages to have a slight advantage, especially in the second sector.
Despite Ferrari bringing a front wing to Singapore with more load on the front, to have a broader range of balance options on these high-downforce tracks, as it was slightly limited at the front before, this characteristic represents one of the aspects McLaren has worked hardest on over the past year. This gap, in fact, doesn’t just appear over one lap and not just against Norris, but is also a constant in comparison with Piastri.
Where Charles Leclerc, and partially Carlos Sainz, manage to make a difference is in the only true medium-high speed section of this track, the final corner, where the Ferrari drivers on Friday showed less deceleration, thus carrying more speed through the turn. Undoubtedly, McLaren still has some margin when comparing last year’s lap to this year’s, not to mention that Norris was very cautious this Friday, applying prolonged braking.
It is also worth noting how the British driver made a mistake at the exit of the last chicane, where he visibly lifted his foot off the accelerator, thus wasting the excellent entry where he managed to outperform not only the Ferraris but also his teammate. The error, at least partially, seems to be linked to the excellent entry, as in the exit he ended up far on the inside curb, lifting his foot off the accelerator on exit. A particular dynamic, but if Lando Norris manages to maintain the speed on entry without making the same mistake during the cornering and exit, this could become a crucial strength in the fight for pole position. The feeling is that Norris is comfortable in the single lap, as he has consistently been among the first to start work on long runs.
On the other hand, it will be extremely interesting to see how McLaren performs in qualifying, when they really push the limits. In the first part of the season, with the C5 and very hot circuits, the MCL38 suffered from soft tire overheating, leading to a drop in grip. Although the Singapore track stresses the rear axle with continuous traction phases, no significant difficulty has been observed in this regard for the Woking team in free practice, and the relatively low asphalt temperatures, just above 30°C, help control overheating. The rain on Friday night cleaned the track.
Analyzing the race pace data is much more complex, partly because here in Singapore it often becomes an exercise in futility due to the nature of the track, where overtaking is difficult, and partly because traffic significantly affects simulations. For example, Leclerc was stuck behind Valtteri Bottas for a couple of laps, which logically increases tire temperatures, in a dynamic similar to that of Max Verstappen, who went long at turn 1 while testing the hard tires. It is interesting to note how teams divided the work on all three compounds, with the two Ferraris and the two Mercedes on the medium, while McLaren split the run between soft and medium. However, it is important to mention that Piastri’s long run, the most convincing, is “tainted” by the fact that he returned to the pits to check for damage from a possible contact with the barriers, giving the medium tires a chance to cool down.
Mercedes and Red Bull had a more difficult day, with problems that, in fact, seem to have a common theme: understeer and lack of grip. There isn’t a specific section where the drivers of these two teams tend to lose ground, but rather a general issue, a gap that consistently grows throughout the lap, especially between the second and third sectors.
Mercedes especially struggled with poor traction and excessive understeer, which on a track like this, with many corners that stress the rear axle, tends to be a burden on the clock. It’s no coincidence that, even during long runs, the engineers at Mercedes repeatedly asked to manage the traction phase, likely due to excessive rear tire slipping.
The situation doesn’t seem particularly simple for Red Bull either. It’s easy to hypothesize that, beyond the understeer Max Verstappen experienced during the session, as the lap progresses, the tires tend to overheat, with a further gradual drop in grip until the end of the lap. The Dutchman explained that, at the moment, he doesn’t seem to suffer much from the bumps and uneven surface of the track but rather from this general lack of grip. It is, however, important to understand how much the Milton Keynes team had to compromise mechanically and aerodynamically to adapt to the characteristics of Marina Bay, which, despite being resurfaced, remains full of bumps. It’s not out of the question that, given today’s difficulties, Red Bull might try to revolutionize the setup and attempt something different. With Racing Bulls so competitive and a tightly packed top ten on a track where they were expected to perform well, it could be difficult to pull off a standout lap immediately after the leading teams without tangible improvements.
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