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Fernando Alonso set the pace in the opening practice session of the 2025 Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, clocking a 1:31.116 to edge out Charles Leclerc by 0.150s, with Max Verstappen a further tenth back. The Aston Martin driver’s time came late in the session on soft tyres, but his speed on mediums earlier in the hour suggests genuine pace rather than a purely tyre-assisted headline lap.
The session began under warm but manageable conditions — 28.5°C air temperature, 34°C track temperature, and high humidity at 79%. Most teams opted for early runs on the harder compounds, gathering baseline data before switching to softer rubber as the track evolved.
The biggest drama came just minutes in when Alex Albon’s Williams suffered a brake fire in the pit lane. Smoke filled his helmet, forcing him to climb out after just two laps. The incident left him without meaningful running, a major setback on a street circuit where rhythm is crucial.
On track, the order shifted frequently as the surface cleaned up. Carlos Sainz impressed by going third fastest on mediums, underlining Williams’ potential in the midfield fight. Mercedes, meanwhile, avoided soft tyres entirely, likely saving them for FP2 when conditions will be closer to qualifying trim.
McLaren’s session was mixed. Oscar Piastri complained of understeer, picked up traffic, and even clipped the wall — but still finished ahead of Lando Norris, who was imperious here last year. Both drivers appear to have more pace in hand.
Alonso’s Aston Martin looked planted on both mediums and softs, a welcome change after a poor outing in Baku. His sector times were competitive across the board, with the fastest first sector and second-best in sector three.
Leclerc’s best lap on softs was 0.432s clear of Norris on the same compound, suggesting Ferrari could challenge Red Bull and McLaren this weekend. Lewis Hamilton, also in Ferrari colours this season, recovered from an aborted first soft run to finish fourth.
Verstappen, still chasing his first win at Marina Bay, was third on hard tyres. His long-run pace looked solid, but the lack of a soft-tyre flyer leaves questions about outright qualifying speed.
Mercedes and Williams’ decision to skip softs hints at a focus on race pace and tyre management. With FP2 running under floodlights, expect more representative qualifying simulations later today.
Lap times dropped steadily as the surface rubbered in. Alonso’s late-session run benefited from this, but his earlier pace on mediums suggests Aston Martin may have genuine one-lap speed.
McLaren can seal the Constructors’ Championship this weekend with 13 points, but their FP1 form suggests work to do. Piastri leads Norris by 25 points in the Drivers’ standings, and every session matters in that intra-team battle.
FP2 at 21:00 local time will be the first true qualifying simulation opportunity under night conditions. Expect Red Bull to reveal more pace, Ferrari to confirm whether they can challenge, and McLaren to aim for a stronger showing. For Albon, the priority will be simply getting laps in to recover from his early setback.
Singapore’s unique demands — high humidity, relentless corners, and unforgiving walls — mean FP1’s order may shift dramatically once the lights come on. But for now, Fernando Alonso has set the tone, and Aston Martin have reason to believe they can be in the mix this weekend.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.
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