Russell Sets Fastest FP1 Lap at Singapore Grand Prix

Mercedes driver George Russell set the fastest time in the only free practice session at the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix at Marina Bay Street Circuit, where teams prepared for the sprint weekend with limited running. Max Verstappen also impressed by leading the medium tyre group.

According to Autosport, the session took place in unrepresentative conditions with track temperatures reaching 53C, as teams focused on gathering data rather than matching conditions expected for later qualifying and the night race.

All cars except the Cadillacs began on hard tyres after the track opened, with Kimi Antonelli initially leading the order in 1m33.830s. Charles Leclerc was 0.034 seconds behind, while Russell followed 0.056 seconds off the benchmark.

Isack Hadjar finished fourth after reporting issues with his Red Bull, while Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton completed a group within 0.6 seconds of the fastest lap. Autosport reported Nico Hulkenberg was the leading midfield driver early in the session.

Audi driver Nico Hulkenberg brought out a virtual safety car period after stopping on the main straight with a gearbox problem. He told his team over radio:

"Something bad happened on the gearbox," said Nico Hulkenberg.

The session continued with drivers switching focus as softer tyres were introduced during the final 15 minutes. Russell, using an older Mercedes specification, recorded a 1m32.274s lap on soft tyres to finish fastest overall.

According to Autosport, Russell's lap was two tenths quicker than Leclerc and Norris, while Hamilton and Piastri were about half a second behind. Only five drivers used the soft compound in addition to the Cadillac drivers.

Verstappen finished sixth overall but topped the medium tyre runners with a 1m33.006s lap, around half a second quicker than championship leader Antonelli on the same compound. Hadjar was seven tenths slower than his Red Bull teammate.

Alpine's Pierre Gasly led the midfield on medium tyres with a 1m34.038s lap, followed by Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson and Haas driver Oliver Bearman. Aston Martin, Williams and Audi remained closely matched further down the order.