FP2 full report: Carlos Sainz heads Ferrari 1-2 at Marina Bay

Here is our full text transcript from the second free practice session for the 2023 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix:

It’s that special time of the Singapore GP weekend again. It’s approaching 9pm local time and for the first time in track action today we’re about to go under the lights at Marina Bay. The event certainly truly comes alive when the practice session takes place at the same time of day as qualifying and the race will and, of course, will therefore mean we start to get a more accurate picture of who is where in the pecking order here.

Formula 1 drivers believe this year’s track changes to the Singapore circuit will deliver more exciting racing in Sunday’s Grand Prix. The construction of the multi-purpose outdoor venue NS Square means Turns 16, 17, 18 and 19 have been removed from the final sector, so the track will no longer go under the grandstand towards the end of the lap. Instead, there will be a straight from Turn 15 to the old Turn 20 and 21 chicane, which will now be the Turn 16 and 17 chicane.

Away we go under the floodlights in Singapore. It’s so important to find out how the car feels in these cooler temperatures. Crucial hour of running coming up. 55 mins to go: It’s medium tyres for most of the top drivers, apart from Lando Norris on the hards. Carlos Sainz goes fastest on a 1:34.150 from team-mate Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in third. We are still slower than the times from earlier today though.

51 mins to go: The track is evolving and the drivers are gaining more confidence in these conditions as Fernando Alonso goes fastest on a 1:33.964. Lots of green sectors on the timing sheet right now. Alex Albon reports power issues from his Mercedes-powered Williams rounding the final corner on his latest lap. He’s 16th quickest at the moment and has now returned to the pit lane for apparent inspections. “The power unit is still running, they are just down [on power],” says Bernie Collins. “What I found in the past are that drivers are very sensitive to even a tiny loss of power, so the team will have a look at it now and diagnose the problem.”

Ferrari one-two restored, with 49 mins to go: It’s a Ferrari one-two again as Sainz sets the quickest time of the day – a 1:33.303. He’s nearly half a second faster than his Maranello teammate. Then it’s Alonso, Perez and Verstappen, who doesn’t seem to be completely happy with the balance of his car on the mediums.

46 mins to go: Mercedes aren’t quite in the fight at the front it seems. Lewis Hamilton pops into fifth place but is 0.758s behind Carlos Sainz, while George Russell is only eighth.

41 mins to go: This is a serious showing from Ferrari now as Charles Leclerc goes fastest in every sector to set a new quickest lap time. He’s done at least two full flying laps on those tyres yet goes 0.238s ahead of Sainz. All the teams are gearing up for their qualifying simulations with all 20 cars back in the pits. But Carlos Sainz has now emerged on the soft tyres. Let’s see how much these times will drop.

32 mins to go: The Ferraris are flying along on the soft tyres too as Sainz pips Leclerc by 0,018s. Alonso is half a second down on the red cars. Let’s see what Red Bull, Mercedes and McLaren do. Lewis Hamilton goes into third and is 0.465s behind Sainz.

28 mins to go: Red Bull look set to face their biggest challenge of 2023 here. Max Verstappen loses time in every sector and ends up 0.732s behind. Ferrari are the real deal here. George Russell goes into fifth, while Lando Norris is seventh. The Mercedes’ are around half a second off Ferrari’s pace, with George Russell in sixth back on track after some set-up changes to try and improve his pace.

25 mins to go: Some drivers are managing to get a second flying lap out of these soft tyres. Alonso improves to third and gets within four tenths of Sainz, while Norris is now fifth. We are yet to see a soft tyre effort from Sergio Perez, who is on an out lap now.

20 mins to go: Sergio Perez is really struggling as he goes eighth, just behind Verstappen. He tells his engineer: “It’s just not coming mate. Every braking zone I feel like I’m gonna crash. The rear is just stepping out massively.” George Russell improves too and goes third, despite a big slide on the exit of the last corner. He’s still 0.235s behind Sainz though.

16 mins to go: The Red Bulls trade positions but for once it’s not at the top of the timesheets, instead it’s for seventh and eighth, with Perez ahead of Verstappen. We have seen in dominant F1 seasons, the fastest team struggle in Singapore – think back to Mercedes during their title-winning years. Could we be looking at a similar story this weekend with Red Bull?

11 mins to go: So it’s into the heavier-fuel race runs for the final quarter of an hour of running today. This’ll show a little more about where Red Bull are at. Even if they are they have not always been at the top of a timesheet on any particular Friday this year, they’ve rarely – if ever – not looked super competitive across the long runs at this time of a weekend.

We know their 2023 car has been handy pretty regularly over a single lap this year, so perhaps it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise to see Haas running well too today. Kevin Magnussen is up in ninth after the quali sims, and Nico Hulkenberg 11th, with Alfa Romeo rival Valtteri Bottas between them in 10th. Liam Lawson is 12th quickest in the lead AlphaTauri, meanwhile, on his first outing in Singapore.

In 2015, Mercedes came to Singapore a very dominant year and were off the pace as they failed to finish on the podium – the only time that happened in that season. Red Bull have won every race so far but look seriously under pressure as they just cannot get the tyres into the right window and both drivers are struggling with the rear of the car. The Ferrari is visibly able to attack the kerbs hard, carrying more speed into the corners and the drivers can stand on the throttle out of the slow-speed turns with confidence too.

That’s it for Practice Two in Singapore. Ferrari are flying under the lights and take a one-two in both sessions today. Get yourselves ready for a potentially very exciting race weekend if that hour of running is anything to go by.