Singapore Grand Prix – Free Practice 2: Ferrari still leading, Red Bull struggling
Red Bull struggled during this second Free Practice session. 7th and 8th, the two Red Bull drivers are far behind the leader, Carlos Sainz on Ferrari. He is ahead of Charles Leclerc.
This second free practice session of the Singapore Grand Prix took place at night, under artificial light and in temperature conditions that were more mild but still very humid.
The Ferrari seems very comfortable. Accustomed to performing well in Singapore, and having been on pole last year, the Italian team appears to be the favorite at the end of this first day, at least for qualifying. As for the race, it’s another story. In fact, few drivers have done race simulations today, with most of them doing relatively short stints.
Carlos Sainz Jr. sets the fastest time tonight in Singapore. He edges out his Monégasque teammate, Charles Leclerc, by just 18 milliseconds. He also improves on the Free Practice 1 time by more than a second.
Behind the Ferraris, we find George Russell’s Mercedes. The English driver is ahead of Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin and his teammate Lewis Hamilton. Lando Norris is in P6 and ahead of the two struggling Red Bulls.
The Red Bulls are surprisingly slow during this session, losing time in all sectors to both the Ferraris and the Mercedes. It is probable that the engine power was reduced, but the Red Bull still does not appear to be performing at its best here.
Magnussen’s Haas is in 9th place, ahead of Bottas who completes the top 10.
It is worth noting the impressive performance of Lawson, who replaced Ricciardo at AlphaTauri and was discovering this circuit today. He finishes ahead of his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda (P16), by two tenths in this second practice session.
The second McLaren, Piastri’s, which doesn’t have the latest upgrades, seems to be struggling. He is in 15th place. The Alpines have also been struggling in recent races. Ocon is only in 13th place, while Gasly is in 18th place.
The two Williams are bringing up the rear. It should be noted that Alexander Albon had an alert on his Mercedes engine and was unable to leave his Williams pit. He only completed 5 laps and is therefore dead last.
More information in a few moments…
Ranking of Free Practice 2 for the Singapore Grand Prix 2023 F1
| N° | Driver | Team | Times | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sainz | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:32.120 | 26 | |
| 2 | Leclerc | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:32.138 | +0.018 | 27 |
| 3 | Russell | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport | 1:32.355 | +0.235 | 24 |
| 4 | Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team | 1:32.478 | +0.358 | 25 |
| 5 | Hamilton | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport | 1:32.585 | +0.465 | 23 |
| 6 | Norris | McLaren F1 Team | 1:32.711 | +0.591 | 23 |
| 7 | Perez | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 1:32.812 | +0.692 | 22 |
| 8 | Verstappen | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 1:32.852 | +0.732 | 22 |
| 9 | Magnussen | MoneyGram Haas F1 Team | 1:33.017 | +0.897 | 25 |
| 10 | Bottas | Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake | 1:33.105 | +0.985 | 24 |
| 11 | Hülkenberg | MoneyGram Haas F1 Team | 1:33.139 | +1.019 | 22 |
| 12 | Lawson | Scuderia AlphaTauri | 1:33.285 | +1.165 | 26 |
| 13 | Ocon | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 1:33.361 | +1.241 | 25 |
| 14 | Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team | 1:33.390 | +1.270 | 24 |
| 15 | Piastri | McLaren F1 Team | 1:33.461 | +1.341 | 23 |
| 16 | Tsunoda | Scuderia AlphaTauri | 1:33.477 | +1.357 | 27 |
| 17 | Guanyu | Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake | 1:33.575 | +1.455 | 24 |
| 18 | Gasly | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 1:33.824 | +1.704 | 24 |
| 19 | Sargeant | Williams Racing | 1:34.327 | +2.207 | 27 |
| 20 | Albon | Williams Racing | 1:35.558 | +3.438 | 5 |
