Singapore F1 Grand Prix 2018 Qualifying: Results, Times from Friday's Practice
September 14, 2018
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen went fastest in the second qualifying session at the Singapore Grand Prix on Friday, but his team-mate, Sebastian Vettel, was only ninth fastest after hitting a wall and prematurely ending his day's work.
Raikkonen posted a lap of one minute, 38.699 seconds to edge championship leader Lewis Hamilton into second.
Meanwhile, Red Bull duo Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo were third and fourth, respectively, reversing their positions having earned a one-two in the morning session.
The Australian recorded the fastest lap time of 1:39.711 in the morning, with Hamilton only finishing sixth behind Nico Hulkenberg, Raikkonen, Vettel and Verstappen.
FP2 Recap
Here are the timesheets from the second practice session:
Formula 1 @F1FP2 CLASSIFICATION (90/90 MINS) Kimi Raikkonen heads the charge in FP2, with Hamilton close behind #SingaporeGP 🇸🇬 #F1 https://t.co/SrCtAiJTwx
In terms of the championship competitors, it was a good evening's work for Hamilton and a bad one for Vettel.
The German driver has 30 points to make up on Hamilton in the final seven races if he is to claim a fifth world title.
But he missed out on key track time after hitting the wall with 45 minutes to go and ending his session early:
Sky Sports F1 🏎 @SkySportsF1Vettel's car was dropping a red/pink fluid in the pits when he came in P2 is LIVE NOW on Sky Sports F1 📺 Sky Go: https://t.co/fxH131oxfk 🗒️ Blog: https://t.co/SzGssXnjAZ #SkyF1 #F1 #SingaporeGP https://t.co/RJ2HhegqLP
Hamilton and Vettel had almost had a tangle earlier in the session when the Mercedes driver locked up at Turn 14, per Channel 4 F1:
Channel 4 F1® @C4F1Hamilton was lucky to not end up ploughing into the rear of Vettel a little while ago, as the championship leader locked up and was forced to take evasive action down one of the escape roads 😱 It's only free practice chaps, calm down! 😅 #C4F1 🇸🇬 #SingaporeGP https://t.co/5KSwm0PePe
But it was largely serene going for the Englishman after that, who improved greatly on an indifferent first practice.
Williams' Lance Stroll also avoided a potentially nasty incident in the final half-hour when his brakes caught fire, but he was able to make it back to the garage in time.
FP1 Recap
Here are the timesheets from the opening practice session:
Formula 1 @F1FP1 CLASSIFICATION: P5 for @HulkHulkenberg - a good start to his 150th GP weekend 👏 #SingaporeGP 🇸🇬 #F1 https://t.co/EAxPucOIoD
The Renault duo of Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz were impressive as they stopped Mercedes from joining the Red Bulls and Ferraris at the top of the standings.
But after a session in which the top spot switched between Ricciardo, Vettel, Raikkonen, Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, it seems likely the winner on Sunday will come from one of the three top teams.
Ricciardo looked comfortable around the Marina Bay Street Circuit, and he will surely pose a big threat over the weekend.
There were few major incidents in the early running on Friday other than Bottas and Lance Stroll both spinning at Turn 1.
However, there was some late drama. Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly went wheel to wheel before Charles Leclerc misjudged the exit from the Anderson Bridge and grazed the wall, per Sky Sports F1:
Sky Sports F1 🏎 @SkySportsF1WATCH: Charles Leclerc hits the wall at the end of Practice One #SkyF1 #F1 #SingaporeGP https://t.co/k0OBbhUYpA
The 20-year-old has only recently been announced as Raikkonen's 2019 replacement at Ferrari, and he will hope to put on a more impressive showing through the rest of the weekend.
Champs League Live: Liverpool Missing from Point-Blank Range