The final free practice session for the Singapore GP tells the story of a McLaren in great shape, especially with Lando Norris, who set a fantastic lap, with Verstappen and Ferrari chasing behind. Here’s a summary and the results of the last practice session at Marina Bay.
In the first fifteen minutes, the only ones on track were the two Aston Martin drivers and a typical giant lizard, whose presence caused a red flag for about five minutes to facilitate its removal from the circuit.
The session resumed, and the teams began their programs: all teams, except Sauber and Williams with Colapinto, ran on medium tires.
Charles Leclerc started in the best way, setting the fastest time of 1:31.630. A decidedly better feeling compared to Friday for Verstappen, second by 105 thousandths. Norris was third, ahead of Lewis Hamilton by two tenths, followed by George Russell, Carlos Sainz, Daniel Ricciardo, Oscar Piastri, Sergio Perez, and Kevin Magnussen, closing the top ten with a gap of four to six tenths up to Perez. Aston Martin, Alpine, and Sauber filled the last six positions.
Notable was a significant track evolution: Charles Leclerc and the two Mercedes drivers were the last to set a time; Verstappen was also about to improve but made a mistake in the middle sector.
Final half-hour
After a pit stop, some drivers quickly returned to the track, particularly Sainz and Colapinto. The Spaniard positioned himself second, 98 thousandths behind Leclerc; Colapinto placed seventh, three tenths behind – still on soft tires.
With a slight delay compared to usual, the soft tire runs also began. Fifteen minutes from the end, Norris led the pack with a time of 1:29.646, four-tenths ahead of Russell and seven ahead of Oscar Piastri. Max Verstappen was fourth, nine tenths behind, followed by Hamilton, Colapinto, and Albon in fifth, sixth, and seventh among those who ran on soft tires.
Lando Norris’s time was unbeatable for the others: the two Ferraris positioned between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, with Charles Leclerc fifth, nine-tenths back, and Sainz sixth, one second and one-tenth behind. In the midfield, Albon took the position from Colapinto, while Alonso closed the top ten ahead of Tsunoda, Hulkenberg, Magnussen, and Gasly. Perez was only fifteenth, trailing behind his teammates along with Ricciardo, Stroll, and Ocon.
Ferrari was somewhat struggling compared to McLaren: Charles Leclerc tried a final push, adjusting the front wing after complaining about a lack of grip. However, the Monegasque driver could not improve.
Result Free practice 3 – Singapore
| # | Driver | Team | Time | Tyre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |   Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:29.646 |  |
| 2 |  George Russell | Mercedes | 1:30.125 | |
| 3 |   Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:30.431 | |
| 4 |   Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:30.540 | |
| 5 |   Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:30.559 | |
| 6 |   Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1:30.807 | |
| 7 |  Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:30.864 | |
| 8 |   Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:30.949 | |
| 9 |   Franco Colapinto | Williams | 1:30.989 | |
| 10 |  Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:31.082 |  |
| 11 |   Yuki Tsunoda | VCARB | 1:31.114 | |
| 12 |   Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | 1:31.187 | |
| 13 |   Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1:31.265 | |
| 14 |   Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:31.367 | |
| 15 |   Sergio Pérez | Red Bull | 1:31.440 | |
| 16 |  Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 1:31.559 | |
| 17 |  Daniel Ricciardo | VCARB | 1:31.561 | |
| 18 |   Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:31.719 | |
| 19 |   Valtteri Bottas | Stake | 1:32.098 | |
| 20 |   Guanyu Zhou | Stake | 1:32.652 | |
