| SESSIONS | RESULT | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| Free Practice 1 | RIC | 1:39.711 |
| Free Practice 2 | RAI | 1:38.699 |
| Free Practice 3 | VET | 1:38.054 |
| Qualifying | HAM | 1:36.015 |
| Race | HAM | 1:51:11.611 |
Sebastian Vettel puts Ferrari on top in final Singapore practice
MARINA BAY, Singapore -- Sebastian Vettel dominated the final practice session ahead of qualifying at the Singapore Grand Prix as Ferrari held a comfortable advantage over the rest of the field at the Marina Bay circuit.
Vettel's best effort was a 1:38.054, 0.7s faster than the quickest time on Friday and 1.4s clear of his pole position lap at the same circuit 12 months ago. Teammate Kimi Raikkonen was 0.362s off in second place while Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton was third fastest, 0.504s off his championship rival.
After clipping the barrier at Turn 21 and damaging his car in second practice on Friday, Vettel's confidence between the walls appeared undimmed on Saturday evening. On his first flying lap he came within millimetres of the same wall, but seemed totally unmoved when his engineer pointed out the close call over the team radio. "Yeah, I saw," Vettel said in a deadpan tone before bolting on a new set of hyper-softs and demolishing the circuit record later in the session.
Mercedes won't be surprised to be off the pace of Ferrari on the tight street circuit, but will be pleased by the gap to Red Bull. Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen looked like the fastest drivers on long runs on Friday, but that race pace will be difficult to exploit if their one-lap pace leaves them on the third row of the grid.
Both Red Bull drivers complained of traffic on their hot laps, while Verstappen made consistent complaints about his Renault power unit. "The engine is doing its own engine braking," he said midway through the session.
Despite the disappointing single-lap pace, Red Bull still held a comfortable margin over the rest of the field, with Haas' Romain Grosjean a further 0.482s off in seventh place. Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez were eighth and ninth fastest in the Force Indias, while Fernando Alonso rounded out the top ten with a solid lap in the McLaren.
Nico Hulkenberg was 11th fastest ahead of the second Haas of Kevin Magnussen in 12th and his Renault teammate Carlos Sainz in 13th. Pierre Gasly was 14th fastest for Toro Rosso ahead of Stoffel Vandoorne's McLaren, Charles Leclerc's Sauber and the second Toro Rosso of Brendon Hartley.
The two Williams were split by Marcus Ericsson's Sauber at the very back of the field.
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