McLaren’s Lando Norris went fastest Friday to lead Ferrari pair Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in second practice for the Singapore Grand Prix.
The session could not have panned out much better for Englishman Norris, who trails Max Verstappen by 59 points at the top of the drivers’ standings.
The second practice in Singapore is pivotal for the teams as it is the only session which is run under the same night conditions as the race around the 4.94-kilometre Marina Bay Circuit.
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But Verstappen had 60 minutes to forget and was only 15th fastest in a skittish Red Bull that looked at times like it was on ice.
The Dutch three-time world champion was a massive 1.294 seconds adrift of Norris’s fastest lap of 1 minute 30.727 seconds.
Leclerc, who had been fastest in first practice, clocked 1:30.785, just 0.58 seconds slower than Norris, but Sainz, who won in Singapore 12 months ago, was almost six tenths behind his teammate.
Yuki Tsunoda in a much-improved RB was fourth ahead of the second McLaren of Oscar Piastri, fresh from his victory in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku last weekend.
The second RB driven by Daniel Ricciardo was sixth.
George Russell’s Mercedes, Sergio Perez’s Red Bull, Alex Albon’s Williams and the Haas of Nico Hulkenberg completed the top 10.
Russell crashed gently into a wall at turn eight near the end of the session, but managed to limp back to the pits without his front wing which he left embedded in the barrier.
His teammate Lewis Hamilton has won four times before in Singapore but the seven-time world champion was way off the pace.
On being told by race engineer Pete Bonnington his qualifying simulation lap on soft tyres had been only good enough for 11th place, an exasperated Hamilton replied: “It’s unbelievable, mate.”
Singapore was the only race Red Bull failed to win last year in a dominant season.
They returned 12 months later having lost their lead at the top of the constructors’ standings to McLaren, who are 20 points ahead.
Verstappen won seven of the first 10 races this season but he has not triumphed in the last seven as McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes have all taken race wins.
History suggests that Verstappen’s fortunes will not improve around the unpredictable city centre track where he has never won.
Red Bull traditionally struggle in Singapore where tropical storms, intense humidity, concrete barriers, safety cars and red flags are ever-present dangers.
Sergio Perez did win in Singapore in 2022, but that was Red Bull’s only victory here since Sebastian Vettel in 2013.
Meanwhile, McLaren said Friday they would modify their controversial rear wing after other teams, led by Red Bull, questioned its legality.
Governing body the FIA had said the wing, which was dubbed by some observers as a “mini-DRS (drag reduction system)” after footage showed it moving at high speed, was legal and no modifications were needed.
“While our Baku rear wing complies with the regulations and passes all FIA deflection tests, McLaren have proactively offered to make some minor adjustments to the wing following our conversations with the FIA,” said a McLaren statement Friday.
“We would also expect the FIA to have similar conversations with other teams in relation to the compliance of their rear wings.”