Friday in Singapore confirms the harmony between McLaren and the Asian track, with Oscar Piastri taking the spotlight of the day. Behind the impressive Hadjar, the most concrete threat to the world champions comes from Max Verstappen, whose positive feelings further reinforce the impression of an overall step forward for Red Bull. Ferrari, on the other hand, is lagging, struggling on a day that raises more questions than answers.
McLaren ahead, but Max is there
McLaren looks lively in Singapore, a track that highlights the strengths of the MCL39, such as abundant downforce, agility through medium-speed corners, and tire management. Leader of the day is Oscar Piastri, showing his typical progression from one session to the next, working with the team to correct the significant understeer reported in the first session. The Australian makes a difference in the approach to turn 5, the second fastest corner on the track, and in the third sector, where it’s important to arrive with tires not overheated. Lando Norris, meanwhile, is nearly half a second behind, mostly due to driving rather than the car, but it is interesting that in the evening the Briton ran with a different front wing from his teammate. Since Monza, McLaren has surprisingly reverted to the pre-Canada wing version, except for the second practice session in Singapore, in which Norris ran the updated specification.
Both on track and in his comments, Verstappen shows potential that keeps McLaren alert. The new front wing confirms that Red Bull’s priority is to deliver a forward-focused car with good rotation, while also preserving traction. In Singapore, the reigning champion specifically cites rear grip and tire temperature management as areas to improve, aspects that are closely connected, since improving traction would also reduce wheelspin and tire overheating.
At the moment Max Verstappen is 146 thousandths slower in the third sector, equivalent to his gap to Piastri, indicating the difficulty in keeping the tires alive for a full lap. Red Bull, however, starts from a solid setup base which, combined with their proven ability to make a step forward overnight, positions Verstappen as a protagonist.
Ferrari looks for solutions
On paper, Singapore is a track that could suit Ferrari, not just because of past good results. The low-speed sections reduce wear under the floor, easing the SF-25’s struggles with ride height management. The start of the first session is encouraging for the Scuderia, 2nd and 4th, but by the evening Ferrari seems to lose its way, finishing over seven tenths behind Piastri.
Even more than the timesheets, negative signals come from repeated steering corrections. Both drivers struggle with the same slide at turn 14, the hairpin leading to the third sector, fighting understeer mid-corner that turns into oversteer on exit. The driving feels nervous, with many slides that quickly heat the tires and accumulate delay in the final section. Hampered by errors, Hamilton cannot improve on his Soft time set with Medium tires. Leclerc manages to improve, but the lap time is not significantly better. It is a weekend already uphill for Ferrari, especially if a grid penalty for the Monegasque following the pit lane incident comes into play.
Many questions, few answers
Among the bright spots are Isack Hadjar, 2nd just over a tenth behind Piastri, and Fernando Alonso, 4th with an Aston Martin comfortable in medium-slow corners and without long straights. The regression seen from Friday to Saturday in Zandvoort, however, teaches that free practice results should be taken with caution, especially on a track like Singapore, where repeated braking and acceleration make lap times highly sensitive to fuel load.
While Hadjar and Alonso’s results call for tempered enthusiasm, Mercedes should not fall into pessimism. The incident costs Russell the chance to simulate qualifying, never running on Soft tires during the day, while Antonelli ends the session without attacking the time to complete a few laps in race configuration. Still, the W16 is not as comfortable as in Baku, slowed mainly by rear tire overheating.
Friday in Singapore leaves more questions than answers. The double red flags deprive all protagonists of valuable time in the only night practice session under conditions similar to qualifying and the race. The neutralizations also minimize long-run simulations, leaving many unknowns about tire degradation for a Grand Prix where, thanks to the increased pit lane speed, a double stop cannot be ruled out, especially if a Safety Car comes into play. The track will also evolve significantly, so those who anticipate and interpret the changing conditions best will rightfully be favorites for pole position.
Leave a Reply