SINGAPORE: Spaniard Carlos Sainz led his team-mate Charles Leclerc in a Ferrari one-two at the end of Friday’s Formula 1 testing for the Singapore Grand Prix.
The 28-year-old completed the Marina Bay 5k track in one minute, 42.587 seconds to end the day 0.208 seconds faster than Leclerc.
George Russell continued to show promise for Mercedes, after team-mate Lewis Hamilton was quickest in Friday’s opening session with the third-fastest time, 0.324 seconds behind.
That put the Briton less than a tenth of a second clear of birthday boy Max Verstappen, who finished second for the first hour of practice but spent much of the second session lit up in the garage , only coming out in the final minutes to set the fourth-fastest time.
The Red Bull driver, who turned 25 on Friday, is 116 points ahead of Leclerc and 125 over teammate Sergio Perez in the overall standings.
Sunday’s race will give him his first chance at a second consecutive title, with the Dutchman needing to score at least 22 points ahead of Leclerc and 13 points ahead of Perez to get the job done.
Hamilton, whose efforts in Friday’s opener put him at the top of the timesheets for the first time this season, finished the day fifth.
Esteban Ocon finished sixth for Alpine ahead of Alfa Romeo Valtteri Bottas and the other Alpine by Spaniard Fernando Alonso.
Perez was only ninth in the other Red Bull, also recording low mileage, with Canadian Lance Stroll completing the top 10 for Aston Martin.
Thai rider Alexander Albon, who underwent appendicitis surgery and suffered respiratory failure from post-surgery anesthetic complications earlier this month, was again 16th fastest for Williams.
He completed a grueling 45 laps on the punishing Marina Bay track over the two sessions.
Pierre Gasly endured a fiery end to the session with his AlphaTauri spitting flames from its airbox as it was dragged back into the garage.
The Singapore Grand Prix, which takes place at night against a backdrop of glittering skyscrapers and has established itself as one of the most popular races in the sport, returns to the calendar for the first time since 2019 this season.
The race has been absent for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 28-year-old completed the Marina Bay 5k track in one minute, 42.587 seconds to end the day 0.208 seconds faster than Leclerc.
George Russell continued to show promise for Mercedes, after team-mate Lewis Hamilton was quickest in Friday’s opening session with the third-fastest time, 0.324 seconds behind.
That put the Briton less than a tenth of a second clear of birthday boy Max Verstappen, who finished second for the first hour of practice but spent much of the second session lit up in the garage , only coming out in the final minutes to set the fourth-fastest time.
The Red Bull driver, who turned 25 on Friday, is 116 points ahead of Leclerc and 125 over teammate Sergio Perez in the overall standings.
Sunday’s race will give him his first chance at a second consecutive title, with the Dutchman needing to score at least 22 points ahead of Leclerc and 13 points ahead of Perez to get the job done.
Hamilton, whose efforts in Friday’s opener put him at the top of the timesheets for the first time this season, finished the day fifth.
Esteban Ocon finished sixth for Alpine ahead of Alfa Romeo Valtteri Bottas and the other Alpine by Spaniard Fernando Alonso.
Perez was only ninth in the other Red Bull, also recording low mileage, with Canadian Lance Stroll completing the top 10 for Aston Martin.
Thai rider Alexander Albon, who underwent appendicitis surgery and suffered respiratory failure from post-surgery anesthetic complications earlier this month, was again 16th fastest for Williams.
He completed a grueling 45 laps on the punishing Marina Bay track over the two sessions.
Pierre Gasly endured a fiery end to the session with his AlphaTauri spitting flames from its airbox as it was dragged back into the garage.
The Singapore Grand Prix, which takes place at night against a backdrop of glittering skyscrapers and has established itself as one of the most popular races in the sport, returns to the calendar for the first time since 2019 this season.
The race has been absent for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
