Max Verstappen, Red Bull, Singapore, 2024

As it happened: 2024 Singapore Grand Prix third practice

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This session has finished. No further updates will be posted.

That concludes our coverage of final practice. Our full report is coming up shortly, here’s a summary of the times and the gaps between the drivers:

1. Lando Norris: 1’29.646
2. George Russell: 1’30.125
3. Oscar Piastri: 1’30.431
4. Max Verstappen: 1’30.540
5. Charles Leclerc: 1’30.559
6. Carlos Sainz Jnr: 1’30.807
7. Lewis Hamilton: 1’30.864
8. Alexander Albon: 1’30.949
9. Franco Colapinto: 1’30.989
10. Fernando Alonso: 1’31.082
11. Yuki Tsunoda: 1’31.114
12. Nico Hulkenberg: 1’31.187
13. Kevin Magnussen: 1’31.265
14. Pierre Gasly: 1’31.367
15. Sergio Perez: 1’31.440
16. Esteban Ocon: 1’31.559
17. Daniel Ricciardo: 1’31.561
18. Lance Stroll: 1’31.719
19. Valtteri Bottas: 1’32.098
20. Zhou Guanyu: 1’32.652

Max Verstappen -0.9s Sergio Perez
Lando Norris -0.785s Oscar Piastri
George Russell -0.739s Lewis Hamilton
Fernando Alonso -0.637s Lance Stroll
Valtteri Bottas -0.554s Zhou Guanyu
Yuki Tsunoda -0.447s Daniel Ricciardo
Charles Leclerc -0.248s Carlos Sainz Jnr
Pierre Gasly -0.192s Esteban Ocon
Nico Hulkenberg -0.078s Kevin Magnussen
Alexander Albon -0.04s Franco Colapinto

Race control have noted a potential impeding incident involving Perez and Norris.

The chequered flag drops an Norris ends the session four tenths of a second quicker than anyone, and seven tenths of a second quicker than anyone who isn’t Russell. The McLaren driver looks in a strong position heading into qualifying – but conditions will be very different then.

Leclerc: “Let’s focus on driving instead of focusing about scrub and whatsoever. And to be honest about feeling also because the feeling is [censored by FOM]. We are very slow.” He adds: “I just have no grip”

Leclerc strings together three personal best sectors but is only fifth, nine tenths of a second off Norris. Not looking great for Ferrari.

A clean lap from Sainz but not particularly fast – far from it, in fact, he’s 1.1 seconds off Norris in fifth. Leclerc appears to doing an extra preparation lap before he tries for a time.

Now the Ferrari drivers join the track on softs. With the track conditions improving, they will expect to see lap times up there with McLarens. Russell briefly causes a yellow flag by going off at turn seven.

Norris’ McLaren looks like it has a much more positive front end on it and he produces a superb lap, 1’29.646, first driver under the 90 second mark. He was almost nine tenths of a second faster than Verstappen.

Russell: “Very surprised more people aren’t on the soft already.”

Verstappen goes third quickest, his car balance looked on the side of understeer on that lap, he’s four tenths of a second off Russell.

A near-miss between Albon and Leclerc as the Ferrari moved right as the Williams driver came up to pass him.

Hamilton nowhere near Russell’s time, seven tenths off his team mate with that run. Albon also set a time on softs and is just under a second off Norris.

Russell produces a clean lap on softs and sets a 1’30.125 which is 1.3 seconds faster than he managed yesterday. Piastri goes second, three tenths off, a second up on his Friday time.

The Mercedes drivers and Piastri are among those on soft tyres already with 22 minutes to go. The Williams drivers and Zhou also on the red-walled rubber.

Carlos Sainz Jnr goes fastest of all in the first sector and jumps up to second, within a tenth of a second of his team mate. But other drivers are switching to the soft tyres now ready for their qualifying simulations.

Verstappen fails to improve after skating on the kerb at the exit of turn seven. Russell slides off at turn 14 and rejoins.

Charles Leclerc displaces Verstappen from the top of the times with a lap of 1’31.525, but the Red Bull driver is fastest in the first sector on his next lap.

Alexander Albon has hit a barrier with his front-left and heads for the pits for checks to the new front suspension on his FW46.

Russell’s extra lap proves worthwhile, he sets a 1’31.816 which gets him within two-tenths of a second of Verstappen. Sainz is third and Norris fourth – four different cars in the top four. Only Nico Hulkenberg, eighth, prevents those teams occupying the top eight.

Verstappen: “Every time at max steering lock at the entrance of corners, I lose the rear.”

Russell asks his team if he has time to squeeze in another lap. He’s told he just about does, but loses a lot of time slowing at the apex of turn 14 to let a car by. “I need a change of gloves for the next stint,” he adds.

Another substantial improvement from Verstappen who produces a 1’31.630. Norris is four-tenths of a second off.

Gasly nearly crashes at turn 11. He also got in Perez’s way at one point.

George Russell puts up a more competitive time with a 1’32.249, just two-tenths off Verstappen, so Mercedes looking better too. But of course what matters most is whether they’re as close when they makes their attempts on the medium compound.

Verstappen: “Everyone is in the way the whole lap. Car is much better though.” Sergio Perez makes it a Red Bull one-two with a 1’32.180. Piastri moves up to third with a lap just a thousandth of a second slower.

Max Verstappen looks happier with his car too: He beats Piastri’s time by nine tenths of a second with a 1’32.044. Significantly, Norris goes a quarter of a second off that with his first run, so the Red Bull already seems in much better shape.

Piastri: “Balance already feels better than yesterday.” He was around seven-tenths of a second off his pace-setting team mate on Friday.

Everyone is now on the track apart from Daniel Ricciardo, Kevin Magnussen and Franco Colapinto. Piastri puts up a 1’32.957 to head the early times.

Oscar Piastri has joined the track but Lando Norris hasn’t – McLaren were about to send him out but noticed how many others were leaving the pits and told him to wait.

The session has resumed after a comic scene of a marshal sprinting after a surprisingly fast lizard – no easy job in the punishing afternoon humidity. Ferrari immediately send both their cars out, as do Aston Martin, Alpine and Sauber.

Alonso is now told the track is clear. He is scrubbing tyres at the moment and says he felt more vibration on his set of hards than the mediums. The session has now been red-flagged.

A lizard has been spotted on the track between turns 17 and 18. Fernando Alonso was warned about it as he left the pits.

Aston Martin are the first team to send their cars out, just over two minutes into the session. Yesterday’s running indicated they potentially face serious competition from RB and Williams this weekend.

Yesterday Williams used the second of their two exceptions to the Friday night curfew – if they do that again they’ll get a penalty.

Third practice for the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix is coming up next.

2024 Singapore Grand Prix

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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