FP1 report: Charles Leclerc pips Lando Norris as Ferrari tests new SF-24 front wing at Marina Bay | F1 Singapore GP. Report from first practice session for Singapore GP.

The first free practice session has ended in Marina Bay. Charles Leclerc set the fastest time for the Maranello team ahead of Lando Norris: here are all the results from the FP1 of the Singapore GP.

There was plenty of action on the track during the first free practice session held on the streets of Marina Bay. It’s a complex circuit where driver confidence plays a major role. Many laps were completed by all the drivers, who chose different setups. Here’s a summary and the results of the first free practice session for the Singapore GP.

After just 10 minutes of free practice, the lap times were very close to those recorded in last year’s FP1. Lando Norris marked the best time with a yellow tire, stopping the clock at 1:33.903. There was a lot of flow viz paint used to check the new beam wing at the rear.

Ferrari started with white tires, with both drivers testing the new front wing. On his second attempt, Charles Leclerc set the second fastest time, just over a tenth behind and on a disadvantageous compound. In the first 15 minutes, some driver mistakes became apparent, partly due to a very green track and therefore low grip.

On his third attempt, Carlos Sainz took second place and improved the limit by about two tenths. This time was set using the same white tire. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc went for the best performance, lowering the limit by about a second on lap 11 on the same tire. The new front wing seems to be working, providing better entry into medium-low speed corners.

Before the end of the first half-hour, Lando Norris went out to simulate a qualifying lap, making several mistakes due to the dirty track. At the end of the lap, he regained first place, further lowering the reference time by half a second.

Second half-hour of FP1 Singapore
Everyone was on track with red tires to begin the qualifying pace simulation. After the first run, Sainz was just a millisecond behind Norris. However, Norris’s second attempt raised the bar even higher, stopping the clock at 1:31.839.

A McLaren challenged by Ferrari, Charles Leclerc, on his second attempt, got within 37 milliseconds of Norris, while Sainz closed in to 113 milliseconds. Max Verstappen also had a good second attempt, getting about two tenths off Norris’s reference time. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc crossed the finish line again, adjusting the reference by a tenth and taking the lead in the standings.

A great performance from the two Williams, which showed a clear step forward even on high-speed circuits. Both drivers managed to enter the top 11. In the last 10 minutes, the teams began a race pace simulation.

Here are the results from F1 practice for the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix: