Veteran Fernando Alonso Sets Blistering Pace in Singapore Grand Prix Opening Practice Ferrari and Red Bull Closely Follow
Written byTimes Magazine
The 2025 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix weekend kicked off with a surprising pace-setter in the first practice session as Aston Martin's veteran driver Fernando Alonso clocked the fastest time much to the delight of the team and fans alike. In the typically hot and humid conditions of the Marina Bay Street Circuit, which had been partially cleansed by afternoon showers, Alonso set a benchmark lap of 1:31.116s on the soft compound tires. The two time World Champion's performance, though in the less representative daylight session, was a significant statement, placing him a noticeable 0.150 seconds ahead of his closest competitor.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished the one hour session in second place maintaining the strong form the Scuderia is expected to show on this high downforce street circuit. World Champion Max Verstappen in the Red Bull rounded out the top three, a further tenth and a half adrift of the Monegasque driver. The first practice session ran mostly smoothly for the majority of the field, allowing teams to get crucial baseline setup data and assess the tire performance on the evolving track surface. The session began with most drivers initially opting for the hard compound tires, with the Aston Martin cars being a notable exception on the mediums.
A major incident early in the session created a significant headache for the Williams team. Driver Alex Albon had his running cut short dramatically when his car’s rear brakes caught fire in the pit lane shortly after he completed his out lap. Smoke billowed from the rear of the FW47, prompting the immediate use of fire extinguishers by the mechanics and FIA officials. The team diagnosed a hardware issue with the rear brakes which unfortunately ruled Albon out for the remainder of the hour, leaving him with only two laps completed a significant mileage deficit on a circuit where track time is paramount.
As the session progressed and the track rubbered in the times began to tumble. Lando Norris briefly held the top spot for McLaren before Carlos Sainz, in his Williams, went fastest on the medium tires showcasing the potential of the Williams package. However it was the switch to the quicker soft compound in the final third of the session that brought about the fastest times. Leclerc was the first of the frontrunners to bolt on the softs immediately setting a commanding 1:31.266s lap. Yet, the ever consistent Alonso found even more pace in his final run on the red marked tires securing his place at the top of the leaderboard.
Behind the leading trio, Lewis Hamilton in the second Ferrari demonstrated their pace finishing a strong fourth only a thousandth of a second ahead of the championship leader Oscar Piastri in the McLaren. Piastri and his teammate Norris who finished sixth showed encouraging potential despite some early struggles with understeer for the Australian driver and a close call with the wall. The McLaren team is widely expected to be a major force this weekend making their performance closely watched. Rookie Isack Hadjar impressed with a P7 for Racing Bulls continuing his solid debut performances. While not fully representative of the true pecking order due to the daytime heat and track evolution, the FP1 results suggest a thrilling and tightly contested battle for pole position and race victory under the lights in Singapore.
