2024 Singapore Grand Prix – Free Practice 1 F1 results (Marina Bay)

Thomas Maher 20 Sep 2024 11:36 AM

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, 2024 Singapore Grand Prix.

Charles Leclerc set the pace in the first practice sesssion at Marina Bay.

Here are the complete results from the first practice session, FP1, at Marina Bay ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix.

With the first practice session at Marina Bay being quite unrepresentative of the conditions the drivers and teams will face in qualifying and the race, the daytime conditions were made even less useful by the prevalence of dust all over the track surface.

Charles Leclerc sets the pace in first practice

This meant the first laps were more akin to the Dakar Rally as the drivers set about cleaning up the track, and it took until the second half of the session for competitive times to start being set.

McLaren’s Lando Norris set out his stall with a time in the high 1:31s, before Charles Leclerc underlined Ferrari‘s pace with a 1:31.763 as the times were over 1.5 seconds quicker than first practice times from 2023 – 1:33.3, set by Carlos Sainz.

Leclerc’s time went unbeaten for the remainder of the session, pipping Norris by 0.076 seconds, with Sainz finishing third for Ferrari a further tenth behind – the Spaniard taking to team radio to complain about his brake balance after the chequered flag.

Max Verstappen finished fourth for Red Bull, 0.334 down on Leclerc’s time, with Yuki Tsunoda fifth for VCARB – the Japanese driver unhappy with his team for leaving instructions too late for the practice starts, as well as with Lance Stroll after being blocked by the Aston Martin driver during a dawdling moment out on track.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri had had a slightly delayed start to his session, following on from an issue being uncovered on the left-rear corner of his car during pitstop practice. With McLaren opting to replace components as a result, the Australian had to sit around waiting patiently before climbing into his car – his session was only delayed by a few minutes as he went on to finish sixth.

FULL REPORT: Singapore GP: Ferrari lay down early FP1 marker as Ricciardo starts critical weekend strong