Max Verstappen ended the final practice session of the Singapore Grand Prix with the fastest time of the weekend at the head of a top five separated by less than 0.09 seconds.
Verstappen’s upgraded Red Bull Racing car looked at home around the Marina Bay streets in the late afternoon sun, propelling the Dutchman to a best time of 1m 30.148s.
Verstappen has never taken pole in Singapore, and Red Bull Racing’s last P1 start in Marina Bay was in 2013.
Though Verstappen’s lap was more than half a second quicker than Friday’s fastest time, the daytime conditions mean FP3 is unrepresentative of night-time qualifying later today and the evening race on Sunday.
Oscar Piastri improved late to make himself Verstappen’s closest challenger, lapping 0.017s off the pace but with the fastest time in the middle sector.
The Australian set his quickest time after the checkered flag, when the circuit was more representative, but did so on the fifth lap on a set of softs.
His late blast pipped George Russell, whose Mercedes was only 0.049s slower than Verstappen’s Red Bull Racing car, and the Briton suggested there was still more time on the table.
“I’m still struggling for confidence in the corner I crashed yesterday,” he said, referring to Turn 16. “The rear’s on the edge.”
Teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli improved with a second flying lap on used rubber, slotting into fourth and only 0.089s off Verstappen’s pace.
His lap was matched by Lando Norris, whose final lap was identically 0.089s adrift and put him fifth because he set the time after Antonelli.
Carlos Sainz was an unexpectedly competitive sixth for Williams at a circuit whose high downforce demands shouldn’t suit the car. The Spaniard was 0.244 seconds off the pace, putting him 0.097s ahead of Isack Hadjar in his Racing Bulls machine.
Lewis Hamilton was eighth and 0.411s slower than Verstappen, but the Briton may have a bigger problem to deal with after being called in for an investigation after the session for a red flag infringement.
Nico Hulkenberg was ninth for Sauber ahead of Charles Leclerc in the second Ferrari, the Monegasque 0.503s off the pace.
Alex Albon was 11th ahead of Gabriel Bortoleto and Haas teammates Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman.
Fernando Alonso slumped to 15th and 0.775s off the pace for Aston Martin after Friday’s competitive showing. He was ahead of Franco Colapinto, Lance Stroll, Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly as the lowest placed drivers to set a time.
Liam Lawson ended the session last and without a representative lap time after crashing his car for the second consecutive day.
The Kiwi’s Racing Bulls car bottomed out over the kerb at the exit of Turn 7. Appearing to keep his foot in, the car snapped from his control and threw itself into the barrier, causing heavy damage to its right-hand side.
Lawson was uninjured in the crash, which triggered the session’s only red flag, but has created significant work for his mechanics, who had only just finished repairing his car after a damaging crash in FP2 on Friday.
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