Singapore Grand Prix – Free Practice 3: Norris dominates the competition, Ferrari struggles, and Verstappen bounces back

Last Free Practice session in Singapore. This one was marked by an unusual event: a small lizard showed up at the beginning of the session, causing a red flag and a comical scene, while trackside marshals tried to remove it from the circuit.

The rain fell before the session, thus cancelling all the re-grooving work done on the track. It was therefore destined to improve, which resulted in significant differences in lap times at the beginning of the session.

Ferrari in difficulty

It’s the surprise of the day, both Ferrari cars of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz encountered difficulties during this session. Comfortable with the medium tires, Leclerc set several benchmark times, generally followed by his teammate.

The fast laps on soft tires proved to be more complicated for the Scuderia. Sainz struggled with his car, while Leclerc complained of a lack of grip.

The two drivers finish in 6th and 5th position respectively, raising doubts about their performance for the upcoming qualifying session.

Impressive McLaren

Lando Norris delivered a remarkable performance during the session. The British driver showed great speed, being the only one to go under the one minute thirty mark with soft tires, setting the best time of Free Practice. His impressive, almost airy pace, suggests a great opportunity for him this weekend.

Oscar Piastri, despite his 3rd place, seemed to be overwhelmed by his teammate, with an average gap of seven tenths with the British driver.

Verstappen is climbing up, Pérez left behind.

Max Verstappen showed signs of recovery after a challenging start to the weekend. The Dutch driver, seeking redemption after underperforming, gradually found his pace on the Marina Bay street circuit. However, his teammate Sergio Pérez seemed to struggle greatly, unable to find the right balance with his car. While Verstappen is making progress, Pérez appears to be increasingly left behind, unable to keep up with the pace set by the Dutch driver and the other drivers.

Russell in good shape, Hamilton frustrated

After a complicated Friday for Lewis Hamilton, the British driver seems to still not have found the solution to extract performance from his car. Constantly struggling with a car that bounces a lot, he did not fail to express his frustration several times during this session. Lacking confidence, the seven-time world champion is classified in 7th position.

George Russell, for his part, had a solid session. His car seemed glued to the ground and the performance was there. He finishes 2nd and seems to have a chance during the qualifications.

The ranking of the third Free Practice session

Upcoming.