Verstappen ISSUES persist as Red Bull kept off top spot in Singapore Grand Prix FP2
Verstappen ISSUES persist as Red Bull kept off top spot in Singapore Grand Prix FP2
Carlos Sainz continued to impress for Ferrari during FP2 as he and Charles Leclerc confirmed successive one-twos during Friday's practice sessions at the Singapore Grand Prix.
A lap time of 1:32:120s saw Sainz pip Leclerc by 0.018s to top spot, with George Russell putting in an impressive run for Mercedes to claim third behind the Ferrari duo.
Fernando Alonso would split the Silver Arrows in fourth, as Lewis Hamilton rounded off the top five, some 0.465s off Sainz in first.
READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Albon EXCITED by new Williams F1 project as star driver enjoys extra responsibility
Lando Norris' upgraded MCL60 could only see him register a P6 finish for the session, which shockingly meant that neither Red Bull were able to record a top six time in FP2.
Sergio Perez would go faster than Max Verstappen to claim the seventh fastest lap time, while Kevin Magnussen and Valtteri Bottas finished off the top 10.
Ferrari's pace continues
Having topped the timing sheets in FP1, Leclerc and Sainz picked up where they left off during the day's second running.
The pair quickly flew to top of the leaderboard on a track where the team's chances had been somewhat dismissed compared to their efforts in Monza last time out.
Yet Ferrari put on a show for their fans in Singapore as they once again prevented Verstappen and Red Bull from going fastest in successive practice sessions.
In fact, it was Verstappen who was accused of holding up Sainz as the Spaniard took to the radio to claim that he 'nearly crashed into' the slow moving Red Bull during the session.
Red Bull concerns
After the conclusion of FP1, it was clear that Verstappen was not entirely comfortable with the setup of his RB19.
Yet sadly for the Dutchman things did not improve much for him in Friday's second practice session.
It took just 20 minutes before he lost the rear of his RB19 past the Esplanade Bridge, proceeding to complain about a lack of grip.
Although the race pace of Verstappen's car will no doubt be strong come Sunday, there are signs that the two-time world champion's run of successive race wins might be in serious jeopardy.
And if Red Bull are hoping that Perez can be there to pick up the pieces of his team-mate, a rather concerning radio message may just bring them back down to earth.
"It's just not coming mate," the Mexican told his engineer. 'Every braking zone I feel like I'm going to crash. The rear is just stepping out massively."
A seventh and eighth place finish in FP2 for Perez and Verstappen respectively will leave plenty to ponder ahead of Saturday's action.
Issues for Albon
It was not the start to FP2 that Albon would have been hoping for.
The Williams driver took to team radio to complain of power issues after just ten minutes had ticked past in the session.
The 27-year-old was called back to the garage for the team to take a look at things in what they hope will not be a recurring issue for the rest of the race weekend.
Yet sadly for Albon and the team, Logan Sargeant was the sole driver for the rest of the session, hampering the amount of data they can gather during their time on track.
It was especially easy to spot Albon on track this weekend as Williams' new 'Gulf' livery stood out under the lights at the Marina Bay track.
Singapore Grand Prix FP2 practice results
1. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari): 1:32.120sec
2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari): +0.018s
3. George Russell (Mercedes): +0.235s
4. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin): +0.358s
5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes): +0.465s
6. Lando Norris (McLaren): +0.591s
7. Sergio Perez (Red Bull): +0.692s
8. Max Verstappen (Red Bull): +0.732s
9. Kevin Magnussen (Haas): +0.897s
10. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo): +0.985s
11. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas): +1.019s
12. Liam Lawson (AlphaTauri): +1.165s
13. Esteban Ocon (Alpine): +1.241s
14. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin): +1.270s
15. Oscar Piastri (McLaren): +1.341s
16. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri): +1.357s
17. Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo): +1.455s
18. Pierre Gasly (Alpine): +1.704s
19. Logan Sargeant (Williams): +2.207s
20. Alex Albon (Williams): +3.438s
READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Verstappen setup quirk which allows Red Bull to make car even fasters
Related news
Former Ferrari driver insists Sainz win doesn't 'taste special'
Palmer identifies the culprit behind Red Bull's Singapore letdown
AlphaTauri CEO reveals how Tsunoda struggles HELPED Lawson
Fans enraged over 'SHAMEFUL' Mercedes behaviour towards Hamilton
Most read
FIA take action after Verstappen track limits mishap
F1 News Today: FIA make changes as Mercedes receive double penalty and Horner curses bad luck
Red Bull to replace driver at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Stroll issues Alonso Aston Martin contract verdict
Horner takes aim at Kravitz with savage jibe at Sky Sports pundit
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Nyck De Vries
- Liam Lawson
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2023
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023
- Grand Prix of Australia 2023
- Grand Prix of China 2023
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2023
- Miami Grand Prix 2023
- Qatar Airways Gran Premio Del Made In Italy E Dell'emilia Romagna 2023
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2023
- AWS Gran Premio de España 2023
- Grand Prix du Canada 2023
- Grand Prix of Austria 2023
- Aramco Grand Prix of Great Britain 2023
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2023
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2023
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2023
- Grand Prix of Italy 2023
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2023
- Grand Prix of Japan 2023
- Qatar Grand Prix 2023
- Grand Prix of the United States 2023
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2023
- Rolex Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2023
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2023
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2023
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860