Source: Official Team Post via X
Russell Tops Singapore FP1 as Mercedes Sets Early Pace
George Russell led the first practice session at the Singapore Grand Prix, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc close behind. McLaren's Lando Norris, the reigning champion, secured third place as teams prepared for the weekend's sprint event.
The 2026 Singapore Grand Prix kicked off with George Russell setting the benchmark in FP1 at the Marina Bay circuit. The Mercedes driver clocked a time of 1:32.274, edging out Ferrari's Charles Leclerc by a narrow 0.198 seconds. Meanwhile, McLaren's Lando Norris, who currently holds the world champion title, finished the session in third place, trailing Russell by nearly three-tenths of a second.
It was a promising session for Ferrari, with Lewis Hamilton backing up Leclerc's pace by securing the fourth spot. Oscar Piastri drove his McLaren to fifth place, demonstrating the team's competitive form early in the weekend.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen, fresh off a victory at last weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, found himself in sixth. Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli, leading the championship standings, finished seventh, followed by Red Bull's Isack Hadjar in eighth.
Rounding out the top ten were Alpine's Pierre Gasly and Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson, both looking to make a mark in the sixth and final sprint event of the F1 2026 season.
Singapore's FP1 was the sole practice session of the weekend, setting the stage for Friday's sprint qualifying and the Saturday mini race. This leads up to the main event's qualifying on Sunday.
Below are the detailed results from FP1:
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Diff | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:32.274 | | | 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:32.472 | +0.198 | | 3 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:32.547 | +0.273 | | 4 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:32.773 | +0.499 | | 5 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:32.838 | +0.564 | | 6 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:33.006 | +0.732 | | 7 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:33.525 | +1.251 | | 8 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | 1:33.723 | +1.449 | | 9 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:34.038 | +1.764 | | 10 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:34.155 | +1.881 |
With the first practice wrapped up, teams will be keenly assessing their data and strategizing for the sprint events and Sunday's race, as the 2026 season begins to reach its climax.