Fernando Alonso Tops First Practice at Singapore

Singapore Grand Prix

3-5 October includes the main event kicking off at 1pm BST on race day.

Real-time commentary provided on digital platforms and official website.

Opening Round Summary

The team's two-time champion was fastest in front of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Red Bull's Max Verstappen in the opening session for the Singapore Grand Prix.

The British team's title rivals Oscar Piastri and British talent wrapped up the session in P5 and P6.

The young Australian was over two tenths speedier than the Briton.

Alonso was a tenth and a half ahead of the Ferrari driver and a clear gap quicker than Verstappen.

The Italian squad's seven-time champion was just outside the top three.

Weekend Outlook

Few anticipate that the Silverstone-based team will be contenders for pole position.

Nonetheless, the outfit are confident of a improved performance on a technical venue that is ideally suited to their chassis, which performs better when high levels of downforce are needed.

Veteran racer Alonso is also famous as a Singapore specialist, and often shines on the Marina Bay street track.

But he was almost certainly running a lighter load or a increased power than his competitors, or each, to set such a quick time.

Practice Conditions

His team-mate Canadian racer was a significant margin behind in the lower order.

Stroll had problems with his cockpit at the start and was also evaluating new components.

Opening practice in Marina Bay is not reflective of conditions later in the weekend as it is held in daylight in early evening, while the shootout and the grand prix are run at night.

Points Situation

Piastri is ahead of Norris by a quarter-century with the final stretch to go as they approach the Grand Prix in Singapore.

McLaren are set to clinch the manufacturers' crown on the weekend.

Sole scenario they can miss out in this race is if the Silver Arrows outscore them by 31 points or Ferrari manage it by a similar margin.

Competitor Outlook

Red Bull are hopeful of a strong result after Verstappen's victories in Italy and Azerbaijan preceding this weekend.

The team breathed a sigh when precipitation occurring before the session cleared by the moment the vehicles took to the track on a track that had not been wet.

Team consultant Red Bull's advisor commented prior to running that they wanted a clear session to get underway on fine-tuning their car configuration for the Grand Prix.

Charles Rodriguez
Charles Rodriguez

A passionate gamer and tech enthusiast with over a decade of experience in writing about video games and esports trends.