FP2: Sainz seals Ferrari Friday clean sweep as he leads Leclerc in second Singapore practice

It was a Ferrari clean sweep on the opening day of running in Singapore, as Carlos Sainz led the way in the second practice session at Marina Bay, narrowly topping the timesheets ahead of his team mate Charles Leclerc and rival George Russell.

The drivers got their first feel for the track in FP1, but with the sun having set, and the lights turned on, they returned for second practice to be greeted by much more representative conditions to what they will face in qualifying, and in Sunday’s race.

FP1: Leclerc heads Sainz as Ferrari set the pace in opening practice session at the Singapore Grand Prix

As seen in FP1, there were a mix of tyre compounds to start the session, but on this occasion, more drivers strapped on a set of the medium tyres compared to the hards, with the teams looking to gather as much data as possible in these conditions.

But one driver who was unable to do as much learning as he would have liked under the lights was Alex Albon. The Thai racer complained of a loss of power and engine problems, forcing Williams to pit the FW45 to assess the issue.

The drivers then ducked into the pits after 20 minutes, with Leclerc, like he did in FP1, setting the pace. The Monegasque completed a lap of 1m 32.974s on the mediums to lead team mate Carlos Sainz by 0.239s, as Ferrari continued to impress.

The drivers then made their way out onto the track with a brand-new set of soft tyres, as they prepared for some qualifying simulation runs. However, there would be no Albon, as the camera panned to him getting out of his car, with his Williams mechanics left with a big job overnight to ready his car for Saturday.

LIVE COVERAGE: Follow all the action from second practice for the Singapore Grand Prix

And in the intra-team battle it was Sainz who came out on top as the Spaniard set a time of 1m 32.120s to lead Leclerc by just 0.018s. Russell rounded out the top three for Mercedes, finishing just over two-tenths off Sainz’s pace.

Fernando Alonso wound up fourth for Aston Martin ahead of his fellow multiple time winner in Singapore, Lewis Hamilton. Lando Norris continued to put his upgraded MCL60 through its pace as he finished sixth fastest.

It was not the easiest of days for Red Bull with Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen in seventh and eighth, respectively. While the former was heard complaining of braking issues, the latter was seen slamming his fist against his steering wheel in frustration after his flying lap.

It was a much-improved showing from Haas as Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg finishing in P9 and P11, respectively, with the Alfa Romeo of Valtteri Bottas sandwiched between the pair.

NEED TO KNOW: The most important facts, stats and trivia ahead of the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix

Liam Lawson was the lead AlphaTauri as he set the 12th fastest time, finishing ahead of Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, and his fellow rookie Oscar Piastri, who wound up 15th for McLaren.

Lawson’s team mate Yuki Tsunoda was 16th, ahead of the Alfa Romeo of Zhou Guanyu, and the other Alpine of Pierre Gasly, as the Williams pair of Logan Sargeant and Albon brought up the rear of the field.

That brings an end to the first day of running here in Singapore, but join us again at 17:30 local time tomorrow for FP3, as the drivers ready themselves for what is set to be an exciting Grand Prix weekend.