Alonso lights up Marina Bay in FP1 as Albon’s brake fire sidelines Williams
Fernando Alonso put Aston Martin on top in first practice for the Singapore Grand Prix, banging in a late 1:31.116 as the sun dipped and the track finally came to him. Charles Leclerc shadowed the two-time champion at +0.150 for Ferrari, with Max Verstappen third, +0.276, on a Red Bull bristling with fresh parts.
It was one of those familiar Singapore openers: hot, green and largely unrepresentative of what’s coming once the floodlights switch on. Grip built by the minute, lap times tumbled, and the order shuffled right up to the flag. Alonso timed it best, finding clear air and a sweet spot on the softs to edge Leclerc and the four-time world champion Verstappen.
The session’s drama arrived early. Alex Albon rolled back into the Williams pit lane trailing smoke, his rear brakes ablaze. Marshals and mechanics doused the fires, but that was that for the Thai driver—no time on the board and a set of crispy ducts to pick through. That left Carlos Sainz to do the heavy lifting for Grove, and he did it tidily: P8 and, notably, the quickest of those who didn’t touch the soft tyre.
Ferrari looked sharp out of the box. Leclerc was in the fight throughout, and Lewis Hamilton—now in scarlet, as 2025 still takes a bit of getting used to—slotted into P4, just 0.364 off Alonso. On a circuit that usually rewards traction and precision more than outright grunt, it’s not a bad marker for the Scuderia.
Red Bull has brought a chunky aero update to the RB21, and Verstappen made good use of it straight away. He ticked off long-run prep mid-session, then joined the late soft-tyre rush to end up third. Yuki Tsunoda backed him up in ninth, while the team kept one eye on McLaren’s pace as the title fight squeezes tighter into the Asian swing.
McLaren, typically circumspect in these daylight runs, parked Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in P5 and P6. Nothing flashy, just steady mileage and a car that looked planted over the kerbs. Expect more when the lights come on.
There was quiet satisfaction across at Racing Bulls: Isack Hadjar turned heads again with P7, neatly inside the top ten and ahead of team-mate Liam Lawson in P15. For a circuit as unforgiving as Marina Bay, composure counts, and the rookie had plenty of it.
Mercedes chose not to chase a headline time. George Russell and Kimi Antonelli skipped the softs entirely, focusing on medium- and hard-tyre work and traffic drills. They wound up P11 and P14, the sort of low-key FP1 that typically masks a more representative picture later. It’s Friday; read the tea leaves carefully.
Haas split its program between Esteban Ocon’s tidy P10 and Oliver Bearman’s more exploratory P16, while Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto landed P12 and P17. Alpine had Pierre Gasly in P13 and rookie Franco Colapinto P19, keeping it clean as the surface evolved.
Not everything was rosy at Aston Martin, despite Alonso’s headline. Lance Stroll trailed in P18 as the team leaned heavily into test items early doors. But the AMR25’s low-speed bite—so often an Alonso ally—looked alive.
The caveats apply, as ever in Singapore’s first hour: the sun’s still up, the track’s washing in, and fuel loads are a mystery. FP2 under the lights is where qualifying form usually peeks through. Still, Alonso on song around a street circuit? That tends to age well.
FP1 classification (top 10)
1. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin — 1:31.116
2. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari — +0.150
3. Max Verstappen, Red Bull — +0.276
4. Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari — +0.364
5. Oscar Piastri, McLaren — +0.365
6. Lando Norris, McLaren — +0.582
7. Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls — +0.639
8. Carlos Sainz, Williams — +0.696 (best lap not on softs)
9. Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull — +0.744
10. Esteban Ocon, Haas — +1.012
Also of note
– George Russell (Mercedes) P11 and Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) P14 didn’t run the soft tyre.
– Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber) P12; Pierre Gasly (Alpine) P13; Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) P15; Oliver Bearman (Haas) P16; Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) P17; Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) P18; Franco Colapinto (Alpine) P19.
– Alex Albon (Williams) set no time after a rear-brake fire curtailed his session.
The real read comes tonight. But if you’re Aston Martin, you’ll take that opening chord every day of the week in Singapore.
