Sainz nails second free practice as Leclerc completes a Ferrari 1-2

Carlos Sainz led a Ferrari 1-2 with his teammate Charles Leclerc two-tenths behind in the second Free Practice session for the Singapore Grand Prix here at the Marina Bay Street Circuit on Friday.

Max Verstappen, who celebrated his 25th birthday and could seal his second world driver’s title here, managed to post only the fourth-fastest time behind Mercedes’ George Russell.

The reigning champion sat in the garage for a long time after setting just one timed lap as his team worked on his car before setting his quickest lap towards the end of the session.

The Red Bull driver was three-tenths behind Sainz, who set a time of 1:42:587, while Lewis Hamilton placed fifth, nearly six-tenths of a second behind the leader.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. signs a cap for a fan after the second practice session of Formula One Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore on September 30, 2022.
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

Alpha Tauri’s Pierre Gasly had a scary moment in the second session when his car caught fire as he brought it back to the garage and had to quickly jump out of it as the mechanics put out the fire.

Alpine’s Esteban Ocon was sixth while his teammate Fernando Alonso was eighth fastest with the Alfa Romeo of Valtteri Bottas in between them.

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez had a disappointing outing, finishing ninth as he hit the wall twice but was fortunate enough not to sustain any damage, while Aston Martin Racing’s Lance Stroll was tenth-fastest.

Earlier in the day, Hamilton pipped Verstappen by less than a tenth of a second, to top the first free practice session. Hamilton’s fastest time of 1:43.033 was set on a set of soft tyres five minutes before the end of the session.

Leclerc’s Ferrari was third quickest, with Perez fourth. Mercedes’ George Russell posted the fifth-quickest time, one second off his teammate Hamilton, with Sainz rounding out the top six in his Ferrari.