Aston Martin's Alonso Sets Pace Opening Session at Singapore

F1 Singapore

This weekend features the grand prix kicking off at 1pm BST on race day.

Real-time commentary provided on radio channels and official website.

FP1 Results Summary

Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso topped the times ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Dutch ace in the opening session for the Singapore Grand Prix.

McLaren's championship contenders Oscar Piastri and British talent wrapped up the session in fifth and sixth.

Piastri was a notable margin quicker than the Briton.

Alonso was a slim margin in front of the Ferrari driver and 0.276secs clear than the Red Bull star.

Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton was P4.

Team Strategies

It is not expected that Aston Martin will be in the mix for pole position.

That said, the squad are confident of a improved performance on a technical venue that is better matched to their car, which performs better when plenty of downforce are required.

Veteran racer Fernando is also known as a Singapore specialist, and often shines on the Marina Bay street track.

Yet he was likely using less fuel or a increased power than his rivals, or a combination, to set such a quick time.

Session Details

Fellow driver Canadian racer was almost two seconds behind in P18.

The Canadian had difficulties with his driving position during the initial runs and was also running new components.

Opening practice in Marina Bay is not representative of conditions under lights as it is conducted in bright conditions in the daytime, while the shootout and the main event are run under floodlights.

Points Situation

Piastri has an advantage over his teammate by a solid margin with the final stretch to go as they approach the weekend in the Lion City.

The Woking-based team are poised to clinch the constructors' championship on race day.

The only way they can miss out in this race is if Mercedes outscore them by thirty-one or the Scuderia achieve that by thirty-five.

Competitor Outlook

The energy drink brand's team are hopeful of a good performance after Verstappen's victories in Italy and Azerbaijan leading into this weekend.

The team breathed a sigh when precipitation occurring before the session cleared by the moment the vehicles went out on a circuit that had remained dry.

Senior figure the Austrian commented before the session that they needed a dry hour to begin properly on understanding their car configuration for the Grand Prix.

Sally Frederick
Sally Frederick

A seasoned journalist with over a decade of experience in international reporting, specializing in European and Middle Eastern affairs.