Alonso Surprises in Singapore: Leads Practice 1 Ahead of Leclerc

Fernando Alonso Sets the Pace in Singapore

Fernando Alonso demonstrated his veteran status by leading the first free practice session of the Singapore Grand Prix. The 44-year-old Aston Martin driver beat Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 0.150 seconds on the Marina Bay street circuit. Max Verstappen, for his part, finished in third position. Verstappen, four-time world champion, finished 0.276 seconds behind the leader. Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari was in fourth place. Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, both from McLaren, completed the top six. Alonso, who hasn’t won a race in 12 years, and who secured his second consecutive world championship in 2006, had an outstanding session. Both Alonso and Aston Martin have had a difficult season, with the Spanish driver only scoring 30 points so far, and the British team in seventh place out of 10 constructors.

Alonso’s time of 1:31.116 allowed him to lead the time sheet. His teammate, Lance Stroll, finished in 18th position, 1.5 seconds behind. However, the times in the first practice session on the street circuit do not always reflect the real order, as the second session, which is held like the qualifying on Saturday at 21:00 local time (14:00 BST), will offer a more accurate picture. Piastri showed weaknesses in the previous round in Azerbaijan, where he crashed in qualifying and also in the race. This time, he complained about the handling of his McLaren, calling it “understeering”, and was 0.365 seconds behind Alonso. Norris, 25 points behind Piastri in the standings after crossing the finish line in seventh place in Baku, was further back, 0.582 seconds behind. George Russell, who is recovering from a virus, finished in eleventh position for Mercedes, one second behind, while Alex Albon was unable to complete a competitive lap after suffering a brake failure in the first minutes of the session.