The third practice session (FP3) of the Singapore Grand Prix has just concluded, with Ferrari anxiously awaiting news on whether Lewis Hamilton will face a penalty for breaching the red flag rules. Here are the final standings from the last free practice session before qualifying.
The curtain fell on FP3 at Marina Bay under intense heat and humidity, which once again dominated the session. Let’s take a look at the final results and relive the most significant moments of the last hour that teams had to prepare for qualifying. Lewis Hamilton risks a penalty after failing to slow sufficiently following Liam Lawson’s incident that triggered a red flag.
Green light
Oliver Bearman was the first driver on track for FP3, followed by his teammate Esteban Ocon, both running on medium (yellow) tires. Unlike some other weekends, the session got underway immediately, as it is crucial for drivers to build confidence on the demanding Marina Bay circuit.
Lando Norris quickly set the pace with a time of 1:32.379, which was later improved by Carlos Sainz Jr. to 1:31.960, although with a tire advantage. Ferrari faced a challenging start, with their initial laps placing them only seventh and eleventh on the timesheets.
After 15 minutes, Liam Lawson triggered a red flag following a fairly strong impact, though fortunately he emerged uninjured from the cockpit.
The session resumed after a 10-minute pause. Mercedes and Williams chose a different strategy from other teams, running on soft (red) tires instead of medium. Lewis Hamilton managed to improve his lap time, climbing from thirteenth to fourth place.
Teams focused primarily on race pace simulations, as yesterday’s sessions had been heavily disrupted by red flags, preventing a full and continuous program.
Final 20 minutes
Andrea Kimi Antonelli set the early fastest lap of the closing phase with a 1:30.760. Charles Leclerc responded 13 minutes from the end, posting the top time on soft tires with a 1:30.651. Lando Norris soon took the lead, improving by over three-tenths to 1:30.292. Drivers continued to push with soft tires as the session entered its final stages.
Lewis Hamilton climbed to provisional second place, but Max Verstappen then took over at the top. In just a few laps, the Ferrari drivers dropped to sixth and ninth. In the closing seconds, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris made one last attack on Verstappen’s benchmark time but were unable to surpass the Dutchman, who finished FP3 leading the field.
Session results
1 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 1m30.148s
2 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.017s
3 George Russell (Mercedes) +0.049s
4 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.089s
5 Lando Norris (McLaren) +0.089s
6 Carlos Sainz (Williams) +0.244s
7 Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) +0.341s
8 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.411s
9 Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) +0.489s
10 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.503s
11 Alex Albon (Williams) +0.520s
12 Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) +0.549s
13 Esteban Ocon (Haas) +0.636s
14 Ollie Bearman (Haas) +0.651s
15 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +0.775s
16 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) +0.899s
17 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +1.112s
18 Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) +1.292s
19 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +1.495s
20 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +3.480s
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