Max Verstappen finished the final practice session for the Singapore Grand Prix, finishing with the top five heads under 0.09 seconds on the fastest weekend time.
Verstappen’s upgraded Red Bull Racing Car drove the Dutch to a top time of 1m 30.148, seeing homes around Marina Bay Street in the late afternoon sun.
Verstappen never stolen a pole in Singapore, and Red Bull Racing’s final P1 start at Marina Bay was in 2013.
Verstappen’s lap was over 0.5 seconds faster than the fastest time on Friday, but daytime conditions mean that FP3 does not represent qualifying and Sunday night races in the second half of today.
Oscar Piastri became Verstappen’s closest challenger, rapping 0.017 from the pace, but he had the fastest time in the middle division.
The Australian set the fastest time after checkered flags when the circuit was more representative, but did so on lap 5 with the soft set.
His later explosion suggested that Mercedes pits George Russell, just 0.049s slower than Verstappen’s Red Bull Racing car, and Britton has more time on the table.
“I’m still struggling with confidence in the corner that crashed yesterday,” he said.
Teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli improved on the second lap with a used rubber, slotting in the fourth, only 0.089 seconds from Verstappen’s pace.
His rap matched Rand Norris. Rand Norris’ final lap was similarly a 0.089S ad-lift, putting him fifth as he set the time after Antonelli.
Carlos Sainz was unexpectedly competitive sixth for Williams. The Spaniard was 0.244 seconds away from the pace, leaving him 0.097 seconds ahead of Isack Hadjar on the Racing Bulls car.
Lewis Hamilton was 0.411 seconds slower than Verstappen, but the British may have a major issue to deal with after being called out for an investigation after a session of the Red Flag Break.
Nico Furkenberg was ninth in Sauber ahead of Charles Leclair in the second Ferrari.
Alex Albon was 11th place after Gabriel Boltreto and Haas teammates Esteban Ocon and Oliver Baerman.
Fernando Alonso dropped to 15th and 0.775 seconds from Aston Martin’s pace after a competitive show on Friday. He was ahead of the lowest drivers to set time with Franco Colapinto, Lance Stroll, Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Guthrie.
Liam Lawson last finished the session, crashing the car for the second day in a row before finishing without a typical lap time.
The Kiwi Racing Bulls car bottomed over the curb at the exit of Turn 7. Apparently maintaining his legs, the car snapped out of his control and was thrown into the barrier, causing major damage to the right side.
Lawson was not injured in the crash, causing the only red flag of the session, but produced important work for his mechanic, who just finished repairs on the car after a crash crash on FP2 on Friday.
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