It was a return to the top for a former winner at Singapore, as Lewis Hamilton topped the timing sheets with a blistering lap of just 1:41.033 around the Marina Bay circuit. He was followed by the current championship leader Max Verstappen, who celebrated his 25th birthday today. If all the stars align, the Dutchman has a chance of clinching his 2nd consecutive F1 World Championship this Sunday.
With this being a street circuit, many drivers had to fight their cars in to prevent them from crashing into the narrow side walls. Carlos Sainz was one such driver, who had to make the most of his driving ability to save his Ferrari from crashing on several occasions. However, Lance Stroll and George Russel weren’t so lucky. Both their cars struck the wall at different sectors of the winding circuit.
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The night sky of Singapore was colored Scarlet, as it was all Ferrari at the top of the timing sheets when the FP2 session came to an end. Carlos Sainz held the bragging rights over his teammate, as the Italian team looks to get back on track after a disastrous middle-half of the 2022 season.
Charles Leclerc was not content with second, as he had to spend most of the session in the garage. This was because some work was being done on the floor of his F1-75. Another driver who had some trouble at the garage was Pierre Gasly. Amid rumors of him heading to Alpine next season, the French driver’s AlphaTauri went up in flames as it was being taken into the garage. No severe damage was done, however, as Gasly would head back out onto the track and finish the session in P14.
Gasly’s teammate, Yuki Tsunoda had some bad luck coming his way as well. The Japanese driver had to end the session early due to a mechanical issue. Elsewhere, the McLarens were covered in an eye-catching special livery this weekend. The neon-pink accents on the papaya paint were to celebrate F1 heading back to Asia after two long seasons.
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With the silver arrows looking quick and Verstappen on the verge of capturing a second title, what would happen in tomorrow’s qualifying session? Join us tomorrow for our exclusive coverage to find out. Until then, check out some of our previous F1 articles here.
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