Carlos Sainz and Ferrari took the lead in FP2 timing in Singapore, with new problems for Charles Leclerc.
Sainz enjoyed an elegant consultation by setting the speed with a 1:42. 587, waved the Ferrari flag alone for some time, while Leclerc lost more time on track, as he had also suffered in FP1.
Leclerc wasn’t the only one to go through a reduced schedule, Verstappen also spent quite a bit of time in the garage, either driver eventually doing some difficult laps, with Leclerc proving to be more competitive than Verstappen’s efforts.
With Verstappen placing himself P4, there was a Mercedes driving force on either side, with the Silver Arrows unable to function from FP1.
The Marina Bay Street circuit was at its peak when the lights came fully into effect for FP2, with Alex Albon feeling well enough after FP1 to continue the race weekend, following his recent fitness alert.
Mercedes sat in the smartest moment of FP1 thanks to Lewis Hamilton, but it was George Russell in the other W13 to set up an early score in the middle of the rubber, with a time of 1:44. 661. Hamilton temporarily stepped forward in more than one part. One second.
The W13 ran lower than FP1 as Mercedes looked for extra performance, while Nicholas Latifi struggled to familiarise himself with his seat belts.
Ferrari also had more after an interrupted opening practice session, Charles Leclerc at the back of the garage as the floor slipped off his F1-75.
Lance Stroll used a new gearbox as a precaution, following his hit against the wall in the last session. An evasive action to take the escape direction allowed Kevin Magnussen to dodge a similar fate at the start of this FP2 session.
As for Russell, he started on a slide almost the same as the one he suffered in FP1, this time avoiding barriers. Progress! Red Bull is still in the garage due to a fault in the drive shaft of Sergio Perez’s RB18, while configuration adjustments are made to Verstappen’s challenger.
Sainz made a decision he was looking for after a spell at the most sensible moment, a short time while Hamilton was less than 0. 05 seconds ahead of him with a 1:43. 668, even with a Latifi heist. Sainz temporarily regained the lead with 1:43. 2, while Pierre Gasly’s fastest lap ended on the escape route.
It was 20 minutes into the consultation and there was still no sign of Leclerc, but Verstappen was on track, passing P5 on the C3 hard tyre.
Now halfway through FP2, the front wing returns to Leclerc’s Ferrari as the engine is dressed, with the biggest qualifying races fast approaching.
Perez started a new series of softs, but would need much more than his 1: 44. 6, with a kiss on the wall, as Sainz would demonstrate by delivering a 1: 42. 7. Hamilton was hampered by traffic in his attempt.
Leclerc’s effort on the average tyre was enough for P2, while Yuki Tsunoda is now the engine that finds his car stuck in the garage. Russell had discovered time but soon returned to the pits after a bad block, while Valtteri Bottas briefly lit the yellow flags. with emergency exit.
Meanwhile, Sainz advanced to 1:42. 5, with Leclerc recovering Russell’s P2 while still on the medium tyres, with Ferrari struggling to locate a clear piece of track to drop if they had to transfer it to the comfortable tyres. Verstappen had He did not participate in any of the qualifying races as the frames resumed in the front suspension.
Gasly was also in the garage when a chimney burst around the airbox above his head, prompting surprised glances from the mechanics driving him. After repairing the damage caused by a connected fuel vent, Gasly returned to the runway. Meanwhile, Tsunoda’s challenge has been shown as a fuel formula challenge.
Gasly started in the middle of the races, Hamilton was met with a snap of hands that forced him to continue directly into the first corner.
Meanwhile, Leclerc was determined to take that fastest lap on the comfortable rubber, and succeeded in his project by moving to P2 with a 1:42. 795. Verstappen also returned to action and in a lap race, P4 for the Red Bull motive strength after a tricky last sector.
Leclerc started again, but the soft tyres did not seem to hold up well, this last circular did not bring any improvement because the clock sounded at zero. He made it clear to Ferrari that he may not be able to do those laps in driving traffic.
FP2 times