Lando Norris edges out Charles Leclerc in second Singapore Grand Prix practice to continue strong start to weekend; Drivers' Championship leader Max Verstappen only 15th; watch Singapore GP Qualifying live on Sky Sports F1 at 2pm on Saturday, and the race at 1pm on Sunday
Friday 20 September 2024 16:23, UK
Lando Norris topped a crucial second practice session at the Singapore Grand Prix from Charles Leclerc, as title rival Max Verstappen struggled to 15th.
McLaren's Norris, who trails Verstappen by 59 points in the Drivers' Championship with seven rounds of the season remaining, edged out Ferrari's Leclerc by half a tenth of a second in a reversal of the outcome of first practice earlier on Friday.
The second of the three practice sessions in Singapore is the most representative as it takes place in the same floodlit, night-time conditions as those of Saturday's qualifying and Sunday's race.
Norris and Leclerc appeared to be in a league of their own at the stunning street circuit, with the other Ferrari of Carlos Sainz six tenths off the pace in third, and McLaren's Oscar Piastri a further tenth back in fifth.
Verstappen, who has gone seven races without a win amid Red Bull's struggles, finished more than a second off the pace in 15th, with team-mate Sergio Perez faring only slightly better in eighth.
RB duo Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo were the surprise strong performers of the session, taking fourth and sixth respectively.
Mercedes also appeared to lack pace as George Russell took seventh and Lewis Hamilton 11th, with the former damaging a front wing late in the session as he hit the wall at turn eight.
Despite Norris attempting to chase down Red Bull's Verstappen, McLaren's main rivals on track at the moment are very clearly Ferrari.
The teams have shared victories across the last three races with the previous two extremely tightly contested, and a similar battle appears likely in Singapore after Norris and Leclerc were very evenly matched throughout Friday.
The Brit's time of 1:30.727 put him 0.058s clear of Leclerc, while the pair also appeared to be most impressive on the longer race simulations they did later in the session.
Norris said: "Pace is good. I'm feeling good. It was a nice lap. I think we are doing what we expect, to be up at the front with Ferrari.
"I was hoping to have a much bigger gap than what I had, which means Ferrari are very, very fast. But things are going well so far."
Norris' strong showing came amid a furore over the rear wing McLaren ran as Piastri won in Azerbaijan last weekend, which the sport's governing body have now ordered them to alter before using it again at other low-downforce circuits later in the season.
The fine margins that will decide the championship battles, with McLaren leading Red Bull by 20 points in the Constructors' Championship, were apparent on track in Singapore as most of the front-runners drove on the limit.
Both Norris and Piastri reported light contact with the barrier, but escaped any serious damage. It was something of a surprise the field avoided any major incidents until the closing moments, when Russell went front-on into the barrier at Turn 8.
Singapore was perhaps the last place Red Bull would have chosen to come to as they seek to end a barren run of form, with the circuit the only one they were beaten at during their historically dominant 2023 campaign.
Most had expected the RB20's struggles going over the track's sizeable kerbs to be a problem, but ultimately it was a more general lack of grip that troubled Verstappen.
"[It was] difficult," Verstappen said. "Not having the grip that we would like, so a few things to look at.
"I wasn't really struggling with the bumps or the kerbs, just general grip. So again, we have to look at the trade-offs between the two."
The Dutchman also said he had "no words" in response to having been ordered by the FIA to "accomplish some work of public interest" after swearing during a pre-event press conference on Thursday.
Verstappen was out-qualified by Perez for the first time in 34 races last weekend in Baku, and on Friday's evidence appears at risk of starting another race adrift of his team-mate.
Singapore is a circuit where Saturday's qualifying is particularly crucial, given the difficulty of overtaking around the tight twists and turns of the city's streets.
Saturday September 21
8am: F1 Academy Race One
10.15am: Singapore GP Practice Three (session starts 10.30am)
1pm: Singapore GP Qualifying build-up
2pm: SINGAPORE GP QUALIFYING*
4pm: Ted's Qualifying Notebook
Sunday September 22
8.30am: F1 Academy Race Two
11:30am: Grand Prix Sunday: Singapore GP build-up
1pm: The SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX
3pm: Chequered Flag: Singapore GP reaction
4pm: Ted's Notebook
*also live on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1's thrilling 2024 season continues live on Sky Sports F1 this weekend with more stunning street circuit action, this time under the lights at the Singapore Grand Prix. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership - No contract, cancel anytime
