The first free practice session for the Singapore Grand Prix produced an extremely tight picture at the front, with Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren all appearing closely matched ahead of Sprint Qualifying. Telemetry suggested that the leading cars were separated by very small margins, while Charles Leclerc delivered an especially encouraging session for Ferrari in both single-lap pace and the short race simulations.
There are, however, several reasons why the FP1 order should only be treated as an initial indication. Marina Bay was particularly dirty at the start of the session and the circuit evolved significantly as more rubber was laid down. Conditions will also change considerably for Sprint Qualifying, with FP1 having taken place in the afternoon on track temperatures of around 50°C, while qualifying will be held later in the evening on a much cooler surface.
Singapore telemetry shows tiny gaps between Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren
The most striking feature of the session was the balance between Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes, with all three teams appearing to have started from a solid set-up baseline. The gaps were remarkably small. In the second sector, just 0.017 seconds separated the three fastest reference times, despite that section containing six slow corners that might normally be expected to expose larger differences between the cars.
That level of convergence reinforces how difficult it is to establish a clear hierarchy before Sprint Qualifying. The Singapore Sprint format also means teams have had only one practice session to optimise their cars, increasing the importance of every set-up choice before the first competitive session of the weekend.
At Mercedes, George Russell appeared more convincing than Andrea Kimi Antonelli, not only on the stopwatch but also in terms of his apparent feeling with the car. The British driver still seemed to be dealing with a certain level of stiffness, although his performance remained very strong.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who was working with Mercedes’ new package, showed an overall balance that appeared positive but still suffered from a degree of front-end weakness. That limitation could become less noticeable on the soft tyres in Sprint Qualifying, given that the young Italian completed practice using the hard and medium compounds.
George Russell gains in Singapore’s final corner
One detail stood out particularly clearly in the comparison between the Mercedes drivers and the rest of the field. George Russell was consistently the fastest through the final corner, not only compared with his teammate but also against the wider opposition.
Charles Leclerc was the only driver who appeared able to stay close to that level of cornering performance through the turn itself, but the Ferrari then lost time during the final acceleration phase towards the finish line. That appears to offer another small indication that George Russell had stronger front-end performance than Andrea Kimi Antonelli during FP1.
The Italian Mercedes driver also completed an extensive series of comparisons between the front wing specification used at Sepang and a new version brought forward for Singapore. The aim was to improve the overall balance of the W17, adding another variable to consider when interpreting Mercedes’ practice performance.
Ferrari competitive on both single-lap and race pace
The indications from the SF-26 were encouraging. Ferrari appeared competitive over one lap and during the race-pace simulations, suggesting that the car had begun the weekend from an effective baseline for Marina Bay.
Lewis Hamilton was running what appeared to be a slightly higher-downforce configuration than his teammate, although the differences between the two Ferrari cars remained relatively small. Charles Leclerc’s session was particularly positive, with the Monegasque producing a strong final lap and a short race simulation that looked convincing both in outright pace and consistency.
Although the race run was brief, it added to the impression that the SF-26 was behaving well around the Singapore street circuit. The different practice stints can be assessed in wider context through the ScuderiaFans F1 Practice & Long-Run Analysis, where differing run programmes and tyre compounds can be compared more meaningfully.
Ferrari still faces a power-unit question before Sprint Qualifying
Despite the positive handling characteristics, Ferrari still faces one important uncertainty ahead of qualifying. As has already emerged on other occasions this season, much could depend on the performance step Mercedes and McLaren are able to unlock through their power-unit mappings when they switch to full qualifying configurations.
If those rivals are able to increase the available power significantly over a single lap, Ferrari could find itself under greater pressure even if the SF-26 continues to behave well through the corners. The question is therefore not only how much lap time the car itself has left to find, but also how much extra performance Ferrari’s rivals may be able to release once qualifying modes are used.
McLaren, meanwhile, showed fairly linear behaviour throughout the session, without the potentially misleading indications associated with soft-tyre usage that had characterised practice in Malaysia. The car also appeared to perform well under braking, although that may simply demonstrate how much margin remains available to all teams on a circuit that is still gaining grip.
Red Bull remains difficult to assess
Red Bull was the biggest unknown from FP1. The team remained too far from the leading references to allow a meaningful performance analysis, apparently concentrating on specific tests involving set-up and downforce levels rather than outright pace.
That makes it difficult to judge where Max Verstappen and Red Bull genuinely stand relative to Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren. It also cannot be ruled out that the team could use the Sprint itself as another opportunity to gather data and continue developing the set-up, accepting a potentially subdued start to the weekend in an attempt to unlock more of the car’s potential for the main Grand Prix.
Ferrari heads into a wide-open Singapore Sprint Qualifying
The first qualifying session of the weekend therefore promises to be particularly difficult to predict. Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes all appear to be starting from solid foundations, but the competitive order could still change considerably because of track evolution, cooler temperatures and the different amounts of performance each power unit can unlock over a single lap.
For Ferrari, the strongest signs are Charles Leclerc’s pace, the SF-26’s convincing short race run and the fact that the car appears competitive across different parts of the lap. The uncertainty lies in how much additional performance Mercedes and McLaren can find when conditions become more representative and the power units are pushed harder.
For now, the clearest conclusion from Singapore FP1 is the extraordinary balance at the front. With only thousandths separating the leading cars in key parts of the lap, Sprint Qualifying has all the ingredients to be decided by the finest of margins.
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