George Russell set the fastest time in the sole free practice session for the 2026 FIA Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix, beating Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 0.198s as McLaren’s Lando Norris finished third.

The Mercedes driver posted a best lap of 1:32.274 on Soft tyres, with Norris 0.273s behind. Lewis Hamilton took fourth for Ferrari, ahead of Oscar Piastri, while Max Verstappen was sixth and quickest of those running the Medium compound.

With the Sprint format limiting practice to one hour, drivers headed out promptly when the session began at 16:30 local time. Track temperatures reached 53°C, giving teams conditions considerably warmer than those expected for Sprint Qualifying and the Grand Prix, both scheduled for night-time running.

Most drivers began on Hard tyres as they assessed grip around the dusty Marina Bay Street Circuit. Russell reported a stiff ride over the bumps, while Lance Stroll went into the escape road at Turn 1 and Norris ran off at Turn 16.

As the surface improved, Norris lowered the benchmark to 1:34.367 around the quarter-hour mark. Leclerc then became the first driver below 1:34 with a lap of 1:33.969, before Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli moved ahead with 1:33.830.

Norris subsequently took to the run-off at Turn 9 after a near miss with the barriers, but the session’s principal interruption came when Nico Hülkenberg stopped near the pit exit with approximately 20 minutes remaining.

The Audi driver reported a gearbox problem over the radio, prompting a brief Virtual Safety Car period while his car was moved back into the pit lane. Hülkenberg completed 16 laps, the fewest of any driver, and finished 18th.

Teams continued their longer runs before switching to performance laps during the closing stages. Russell was among the first to fit Soft tyres and immediately went quickest with 1:32.864. Piastri followed just 0.034s behind, while Leclerc abandoned his initial attempt after reporting traffic at Turn 5.

Hamilton briefly took first place with 1:32.821, but Russell improved to his session-winning time inside the final five minutes. Leclerc secured second with 1:32.472, ahead of Norris on 1:32.547.

Hamilton’s final improvement to 1:32.773 left him 0.499s adrift, with Piastri fifth on 1:32.838. Verstappen recorded 1:33.006 on Medium tyres, finishing 0.519s clear of Antonelli, who used the same compound and ran deep at Turn 16 on his final attempt.

Isack Hadjar placed eighth in the second Red Bull, followed by Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson, completing the top 10.

Oliver Bearman was 11th for Haas, ahead of Arvid Lindblad and Esteban Ocon. Fernando Alonso finished 14th, with Carlos Sainz 15th after completing a session-high 31 laps.

Gabriel Bortoleto headed Alexander Albon in 16th and 17th, while Franco Colapinto followed Hülkenberg in 19th. Stroll, Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas completed the classification.

2026 FIA Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix – Free Practice 
1 George Russell Mercedes 1:32.274 28 192.223
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:32.472 0.198 26 191.811
3 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:32.547 0.273 24 191.656
4 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:32.773 0.499 26 191.189
5 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:32.838 0.564 27 191.055
6 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:33.006 0.732 22 190.710
7 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:33.525 1.251 28 189.651
8 Isack Hadjar Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:33.723 1.449 27 189.251
9 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Mercedes 1:34.038 1.764 26 188.617
10 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:34.155 1.881 25 188.382
11 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1:34.331 2.057 29 188.031
12 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:34.476 2.202 27 187.742
13 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1:34.481 2.207 25 187.732
14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Honda 1:34.495 2.221 27 187.705
15 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:34.651 2.377 31 187.395
16 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1:34.736 2.462 25 187.227
17 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:34.805 2.531 30 187.091
18 Nico Hülkenberg Audi 1:34.884 2.610 16 186.935
19 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Mercedes 1:34.983 2.709 27 186.740
20 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Honda 1:35.268 2.994 26 186.182
21 Sergio Pérez Cadillac/Ferrari 1:35.299 3.025 21 186.121
22 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac/Ferrari 1:35.620 3.346 25 185.496