Here is our full text transcript from the final free practice session for the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix”
So, let’s cut straight to the chase and start with the big question everyone’s been asking since the end of Practice Two yesterday – are Red Bull, unbeaten on every Sunday so far this season, really up against it here to maintain that 100% winning run in Singapore? Off the pace and outside the top six yesterday, there was no doubt that the RB19, usually so planted, was struggling for balance with both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez reporting instability under braking.
While they toiled, Ferrari impressed by finishing 1-2 in both sessions, while Mercedes, McLaren and Aston Martin also showed promise. No one would doubt Red Bull’s ability to get on top of their issues in time for this morning’s final practice session, but it certainly appears they have a fight on their hands here – particularly in the later qualifying hour.
Red Bull could face the biggest challenge yet to their unprecedented unbeaten sequence of F1 race wins at the Singapore GP after a difficult start to their weekend – which Max Verstappen admits was “way worse than we expected”. Verstappen and team-mate Sergio Perez finished outside the top six on the timesheet in the night-time practice session at Marina Bay, unusually trailing the pacesetting Ferraris by a gap of seven tenths of a second.
Once again this is not a very representative session for the teams to gather data from with Practice Three again taking place in the daylight hours. And the drivers will be facing a rather green track again after a heavy, sharp downpour earlier today. We have a dry track now though after the sun’s re-emergence and the earlier Porsche support races.
That rain has helped lower the track temperature compared to Practice One yesterday, it currently sits at 39*C while there is a 20% risk of further rain arriving during this session.
We are under way for one more hour of practice. Valtteri Bottas is the first car to trundle out of the pit lane, with most drivers sitting in the garage. The Red Bulls are on track following their overnight and morning changes. They’ll be keen to get any early read on the hoped-for effect of the set-up tweaks. Seven cars out of the pit lane so far in these early minutes. It’s a 1:35.082 from Valtteri Bottas which is the early target time to beat. For reference that’s nearly three seconds down on yesterday’s fastest time. The Red Bulls and Ferraris are on mediums and it’s Max Verstappen who is fastest on a 1:34.402. Don’t read too much into that yet.
49 mins to go: A very strange moment for Max Verstappen as he goes down the escape road at Turn 14 on his cooldown lap. It wasn’t exactly like he was going fast. Perhaps the Dutchman was looking down at his steering wheel and didn’t notice the corner was coming up!
45 mins to go: It’s Verstappen back on top but he’s not happy with the upshifts in his car. The track is ramping up and Verstappen currently looks to be happier with the balance of his car. Interestingly, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton are third and seventh respectively on the softs.
41 mins to go: George Russell moves to the top of the timesheet with his second flying effort on the soft tyre. Russell puts in a 1:33.440 to go fastest by two tenths of a second, but Mercedes are doing a different run plan to Red Bull and Ferrari by running the soft tyres first compared to the mediums. Lewis Hamilton can only go fourth fastest with his latest soft tyre effort. George Russell’s time at the top does not last very long as Carlos Sainz returns to lead the field with a 1:33.195. That is 0.245s better than Russell’s effort and the Ferrari driver is still running the medium tyre. This final day-light session of the weekend may not ever be the most representative, but it’s still proving to be a busy one out on track. And the drivers are certainly pushing – as evidenced by Charles Leclerc running wide under braking for the first corner. He’s fourth fastest right now, nearly half a second adrift of Sainz.
34 mins to go: Liam Lawson has a moment at Turn 2. He gets through the left of Turn 1 nicely but the gentle right that follows catches him out as he loses control of his AlphaTauri. No damage done though and he continues on his way.
32 mins to go: The leadership of the timesheet changes hands again between Ferrari and Mercedes, with George Russell back ahead this time with his latest swift lap on his soft tyres. A 1:32.883 moves the Mercedes man three tenths clear of the lead Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton is currently fifth and just back out again for another run. It’s a Mercedes one-two as Hamilton sets personal bests in every sector to go 0.222s behind Russell. Both drivers are on the softs though, whereas the other top teams are yet to run the faster compound. Verstappen cuts the first chicane as he gets a slide going into Turn 1. He’s on a race simulation at the moment and there’s certainly less negative feedback from his radio compared to Perez.
Very handy pace from the McLarens – with Oscar Piastri also up there in fourth – but we’re yet to see what the Ferraris and Red Bulls can do on the softs. But we’re about to find out – Max Verstappen is underway with his quali sim. Ferrari’s Leclerc and Sainz also on out laps. Verstappen is only fourth with his soft tyre run. He loses 0.296s in the first sector alone and ends up 0.333s behind Norris at the end of the lap. Sector 1 was Red Bull’s weakness yesterday too…
9 mins to go: It’s a new fastest time of the weekend so far as Carlos Sainz sets a 1:32.065, which is quicker than his practice two time yesterday. His Maranello teammate aborts his lap, so we are yet to see what he’s got up his sleeve. It’s Sainz from Norris by 0.238s, with Russell and Hamilton rounding out the top four.
1 min to go: Leclerc sets a mighty first sector but then has a big slide at Turn 7 and decides to back out of it.
Chequered Flag: Well, well, well. Another very competitive session and a very promising one for Ferrari and Carls Sainz in particular. Four different constructors in the top four, with Red Bull at the rear of that list.
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