Fernando Alonso Leads First Session at Marina Bay
F1 Singapore
This weekend features the grand prix kicking off at 13:00 BST on Sunday.
Live commentary streamed on digital platforms and mobile app.
Practice Session Summary
The team's Fernando Alonso set the pace ahead of Monegasque driver and Red Bull's Max Verstappen during FP1 for the Singapore Grand Prix.
McLaren's championship contenders Oscar Piastri and British talent concluded the run in mid-table positions.
The young Australian was over two tenths quicker than the Briton.
The experienced Spaniard was a tenth and a half leading of Leclerc and over a quarter of a second faster than the Red Bull star.
The Italian squad's Lewis Hamilton was fourth fastest.
Team Strategies
Unlikely that Aston Martin will be in the mix for P1.
That said, the squad are hopeful of a better weekend on a low-speed track that is better matched to their chassis, which excels when plenty of aerodynamic grip are required.
Two-time champion Alonso is also famous as a street circuit master, and typically performs well on the Singapore circuit.
Yet he was almost certainly operating with reduced weight or a increased power than his opponents, or each, to post the fastest lap.
Session Details
Fellow driver Lance Stroll was a significant margin behind in the lower order.
The Canadian had problems with his cockpit early in the session and was also running experimental parts.
FP1 in Marina Bay is not reflective of later performance for qualifying and race as it is run in bright conditions in late afternoon, while qualifying and the grand prix are staged under floodlights.
Title Battle
Piastri leads Norris by 25 points with seven races to go heading into the weekend in Singapore.
McLaren are poised to secure the constructors' championship on the weekend.
Single possibility they can not tie it up in Singapore is if the Silver Arrows beat them by over thirty or Ferrari manage it by 35.
Red Bull Update
Red Bull are optimistic of a good performance after Max's wins in Monza and Baku preceding this Grand Prix.
They were relieved when precipitation falling before the session abated by the time the cars emerged on a surface that had not been wet.
Team consultant Red Bull's advisor stated prior to running that they wanted a clear session to make a comprehensive start on optimizing their set-up for the weekend.
