Russell edges Leclerc in Singapore’s only practice session

George Russell topped Singapore’s only practice session with a late 1:32.274, edging Charles Leclerc by 0.198 seconds. Lando Norris was third, 0.273 seconds behind, as the sprint format left teams just one hour on track.

The top spot changed hands in the closing phase. Russell was among the first to fit soft tyres and set 1:32.864; Oscar Piastri followed 0.034 seconds behind. Lewis Hamilton briefly went fastest with 1:32.821, but Russell lowered the benchmark inside the final five minutes. Leclerc finished second on 1:32.472 and Norris third on 1:32.547; Hamilton and Piastri completed the top five.

Track temperatures reached 53°C, considerably warmer than expected for the night-time Sprint Qualifying and Grand Prix. The main interruption came with about 20 minutes left, when Nico Hülkenberg stopped near the pit exit and reported a gearbox problem. A brief virtual safety car allowed his Audi to be moved back into the pit lane. Hülkenberg completed 16 laps, the fewest of any driver, and finished 18th.

Max Verstappen was sixth in 1:33.006, 0.732 seconds off Russell, but set the quickest time among the medium-tyre runners. Kimi Antonelli, also on mediums, was seventh, 0.519 seconds behind Verstappen.