The first practice at the Singapore Grand Prix on Friday was an eventful session. It started with the frontrunners; Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Fernando Alonso pushing one another in the race to being the quickest. Fernando Alonso of Ferrari was the surprise trendsetter and set the fastest time. Although at Monza, Ferrari had collected just two points; however, at a humid, muggy and dramatic Marina Bay Street Circuit, it bounced back in the best possible fashion. This is not something unusual as the Ferraris usually impress during practice sessions.
edged Mercedes drivers/title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, followed by Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull. Fernando Alonso ended the session 0.122s ahead of Lewis Hamilton’s, with Nico Rosberg a further 0.027s down. The Spaniard’s best lap was thus 1m 49.056s compared to Hamilton’s 1m 49.178s and Rosberg’s 1m 49.205s. Sebastian Vettel, clung on to fourth place on 1m 49.874s ahead of team mate Daniel Ricciardo on 1m 50.122s, but the session ended badly for Red Bull when Vettel reported an engine failure at the end of the session.
During the second practice session, Lewis Hamilton put Mercedes back on top of the times. Fernando Alonso took second spot for Ferrari, 0.133s adrift of Hamilton with 1m 47.623s, as Daniel Ricciardo was third on 1m 47.790s in the second Red Bull and Kimi Raikkonen fourth on 1m 48.031s in the other Ferrari. Vettel, meanwhile showed why he won four world titles by jumping up to fifth place with 1m 48.041s despite technical problems. Kevin Magnussen and Jenson Button gave McLaren the sixth and seventh fastest times of 1m 48.358s and 1m 48.435s respectively, and Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg were eighth and ninth for Force India on 1m 48.653s and 1m 48.751s. Daniil Kvyat rounded out the top 10 for Toro Rosso with 1m 48.770s as team mate Jean-Eric Vergne backed him up with 1m 48.800s.
Nico Rosberg, the 22-point championship leader, finished the run in 13th place but he clocked the fastest first sector of all in 28.702s, which would prove the fastest of the session. It remains to be seen whether will be joined in. The long and bumpy Marina Bay track provides Hamilton and Rosberg with arguably the toughest challenge of the entire season during their battle of honors, as they would race for maximum two hours duration in hot and humid conditions under lights at night. Red Bull in the meanwhile hope to challenge Mercedes on Sunday, but on the basis of Friday’s first session they may have to be more concerned with a battle with Ferrari for best of the rest.
