Piastri tops FP2 despite Red Flag delays in Singapore

Oscar Piastri navigated a session littered with delays and on-track incidents to top FP2 in Singapore, maximising a rare window of representative running to set the benchmark ahead of Isack Hadjar and Max Verstappen.

The Marina Bay Street Circuit came alive under the floodlights as the drivers slowly but surely left the pitlane, with the thick humidity only adding to the unusual intensity of Friday’s second session.

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Following the neon green Sauber out on track, Piastri was the second driver to thrill the packed grandstands as he started his FP2 campaign on the medium compound tyre. 

It was a twitchy first flying attempt from the Australian, however, Piastri managed to clock an opening time of 1:33.424s, leaving him as the fifth-fastest driver after the initial attempts had been completed.

Around the bumpy circuit, the Australian made his way to the top of the order not once, but twice, with Piastri recording a flying time of 1:31.716s, a lap ultimately 0.007s faster than Norris’ attempt thanks to his intra-team edge in the final sector.

Piastri was unable to set a time between the Green Flag and a second Red Flag, however, his qualifying simulations picked back up with the Australian setting not only his fastest time, but the overall fastest time of the session.

With a 1:30.714s, the Australian made up over a second on his pre-Red Flag record, finishing just over one-tenth ahead of two Red Bull representatives, while his McLaren teammate had a flustered end to FP2.

It was a mid-range start for Liam Lawson, with the Racing Bulls driver clocking the eighth-fastest primary lap when he started FP2 on the medium compound tyre. 

Having scored his maiden points finish at the Singapore Grand Prix in 2023, Lawson continued to make his way up the order after setting the then-third fastest lap — a 1:32.645s which held its own over Isack Hadjar by just 0.027s.

At the time of the mid-session Red Flag, the Racing Bulls duo had slipped down to P7 and P8, however, the leading RB’s FP2 came to a crashing end just moments later.

Running off-line through Turn 16 was the catalyst for Lawson’s session-ending accident, with the Kiwi sliding into the wall at Turn 17, heavily damaging both right-side rims and shedding tyres across the track before attempting to limp his VCARB 02 back to the pits.

The damage was too extensive, though, and Lawson was forced to pull over in the pit entry after spraying sparks and debris, resulting in a second Red Flag during a crucial session for the field, and marking the end of the #30’s Friday running. 

As for the rest of the field, the changed conditions brought the field closer together, as highlighted by an early top three of Kimi Antonelli, Lewis Hamilton, and Max Verstappen separated by less than nine-hundredths of a second. 

It was the leading Mercedes that put a foot wrong in the opening stages of the hour, with Antonelli running off at Turn 14 before tactically spinning his way back onto the circuit — a skill Gabriel Bortoleto didn’t possess when he tried to manoeuvre his way out of the run-off area just moments earlier. 

George Russell wasn’t as quick to bail out as Antonelli, hurling into the barriers at Turns 16 and 17 in what he called a “weird” incident. 

Carrying too much speed into the chicane, the Mercedes driver crumpled his front wing and triggered a brief Red Flag for debris clearance and barrier repairs, with Car No. 63 retired to the garage as the crew began dismantling it on return.

With the McLaren duo stealing the top two slots just prior to the delay, the chasing pack, including Hamilton, who tracked just one-tenth behind Norris, were quick to exit the pitlane when the session restarted with 30 minutes remaining. 

The soft tyre was the most popular choice upon return, with just four cars, including both Ferraris, remaining on the yellow-marked compound as they awaited optimal track conditions.

Track position momentarily rewarded Haas with timesheet position, with Esteban Ocon claiming the top spot just moments before the second Red Flag struck the circuit for a battered and bruised VCARB 02.

When the light finally went green, there was yet another incident, however, this time, front wings were broken before the drivers had even left the pitlane when Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris collided.

A hastily executed release from Ferrari sent Leclerc blindly lunging to join the pitlane queue, only to drive straight into the side of Car No. 4, with the heavy contact ricocheting Norris into the concrete wall and snapping the McLaren’s front wing endplate in the process.

Despite the Ferrari mechanics sheepishly lending McLaren a hand in wheeling Norris back into the pitlane, the FIA placed the unsafe release under investigation, booking Leclerc in for a post-session chat with the stewards as McLaren CEO Zak Brown shook his head in disapproval.

Both drivers were eventually able to join the rest of the field back on track for ten final minutes of qualifying simulations, with the championship leader setting the soft compound pace ahead of Verstappen and Alonso, who were separated by just two-hundredths of a second before a late dash from the sole-remaining RB demoted the pair.

As the Singapore night wore on and fatigue set in, the field began to unravel, with small lapses of concentration and mounting errors creeping into nearly every garage as brushes with the walls and absent-minded lock-ups marred the final minutes of FP2.

Having lost 22 minutes of the session due to Red Flag delays, the limited running saw Piastri’s P1 standing under threat from Isack Hadjar, with the Racing Bulls driver punching in a late attempt that left him 0.132s clear of the McLaren, while leading over his rumoured future teammate by just 11 milliseconds.

That top three held strong through to the chequered flag, with the rest of the field joining the fastest three drivers on the grid for a second practice start to round out the first day of running in Marina Bay.

Following a post-session debrief, those in the pitlane who were fortunate enough not to have an overnight rebuild on their hands headed home for the night, allowing them to get a solid night’s rest ahead of Qualifying day in Singapore.

The final hour of practice at the Singapore Grand Prix will take place at 19:30 AEST on Saturday, followed by the Qualifying shootout at 23:00 AEST.

Image: McLaren

Singapore GP Free Practice 2:

2025 Singapore Grand Prix Schedule (AEST):

Friday, October 3rd:

FP1: 19:30 – 20:30

FP2: 23:00 – 00:00

Saturday, October 4th:

FP3: 19:30 – 20:30

Qualifying: 23:00 – 00:00

Sunday, October 5th:

Race: 23:00

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