Russell goes fastest in practice for smoggy Singapore GP
SINGAPORE: George Russell in a Mercedes topped the timesheets Friday in the only practice session for the Singapore Grand Prix at a Marina Bay Circuit enveloped in smoky haze caused by fires in Indonesia.
George Russell of Mercedes set the quickest time in the sole practice session ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, held in smoggy conditions on Friday at the Marina Bay Circuit. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc followed in second place, with McLaren's Lando Norris rounding out the top three on a dusty track. This was the first practice session for the race, which features a sprint qualifying event later on Friday.
Russell, who will start from the back of the grid due to a penalty for excessive engine usage, still has a chance to secure pole position during Saturday's sprint race. All top five times were set on the soft tyre compound, with Hamilton in fourth and Oscar Piastri of McLaren fifth. Max Verstappen, the first Singaporean winner of the season, was the fastest in the medium tyre category, six places behind Russell but a half-second ahead of the other Mercedes driver, Kimi Antonelli.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who has never won in Singapore, was seventh fastest overall, followed by Pierre Gasly of Alpine and Liam Lawson of RB. The race, notorious for its challenging overtaking opportunities, is also dealing with smoggy conditions, with Singapore's air quality dropping to an unhealthy 205 on Friday. The FIA has confirmed the race will proceed despite the haze, with air quality being monitored and contingency measures in place for any worsening conditions.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
