F1 Singapore: Verstappen Leads, Lawson Crashes in FP3

The third practice session for the F1 Singapore Grand Prix concluded. With a session full of insights, as always influenced by the typical local climate: scorching heat and high humidity, but with a dry track. Under these conditions, Max Verstappen set the pace with the fastest time of 1:30.148, despite completing only 15 laps. A testament to the immediate effectiveness of the Red Bull on the Marina Bay street circuit.

Red Bull Dominates, McLaren Chasing

Trailing him, it’s no surprise to see Oscar Piastri’s McLaren just 17 thousandths of a second behind the Red Bull. A consistent signal for the Woking team, which seems to have found great balance even in a technically challenging and tricky circuit like Singapore, albeit still outpaced by the phenomenal Max. George Russell set the third fastest time, showing strong consistency with Mercedes, while in fourth position an extraordinary Kimi Antonelli impressed with a solid session. The young Italian, behind the wheel of the second Mercedes, posted the same time as Lando Norris, but edged ahead of his teammate by mere thousandths of a second.

Further back, Carlos Sainz with the Williams and Isack Hadjar with the Racing Bulls rounded out sixth and seventh, respectively. Hadjar’s team faced a challenging moment when Liam Lawson crashed into the wall after losing control of his car on a fast section. A mistake that could weigh heavily, especially ahead of a qualifying session, which is always delicate on a circuit where the smallest error can be costly.

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F1 Singapore: The Circuit Remains Tricky for Many

In the mid-field of the FP3 session in Singapore, gaps remain tight, a sign of a very compact group at this stage of the weekend. Lewis Hamilton set the eighth fastest time, finishing +0.411 behind Verstappen, struggling to find a good feel with his car. His Ferrari doesn’t yet appear perfectly balanced on the Marina Bay street circuit, but his experience could prove decisive in qualifying.

Just behind him, Nico Hulkenberg secured a strong ninth place with the Kick Sauber, ahead of Charles Leclerc, who came in tenth after struggling to find his ideal rhythm. The Monegasque logged many laps but never managed a truly clean lap, leaving Ferrari in a state of uncertainty.

Alex Albon is eleventh with the Williams F1 Team, showing solid consistency but no standout moments. Just behind him, Gabriel Bortoleto (Kick Sauber) continues to grow in his debut season, finishing 12th, half a second off the top.

Haas placed both cars in the mid-field with Ocon and Bearman (13th and 14th), demonstrating decent pace but not yet enough to fight for the top ten.

Rounding out the top 15 is Fernando Alonso, with a time considerably slower than the leaders (+0.775). Aston Martin seems to be struggling to adapt to the track’s characteristics, and the two-time world champion will need to find more in the afternoon if he wants to aim for a strong qualifying position.

Liam Lawson Crashes

In turn 5, Liam Lawson brought an end to his final practice session by crashing his car quite violently on corner exit. The New Zealander ran too aggressively over the outer curb, losing traction on exit. As a result, the car became uncontrollable despite Lawson’s corrective steering. Let’s hope the car can be repaired in time for the F1 Singapore qualifying session at 3 PM.