Carlos Sainz clocked the fastest time in the final free practice session at Marina Bay, setting a 1:32.065 to lead the third practice of the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix, the fifteenth race of the season. The Singapore track, under the night heat, showed Sainz ahead of the field as teams fine-tuned setups for qualifying. Max Verstappen, the standings leader, boosted his pace and spent several minutes atop the timing sheets, yet could not bridge the gap to the Ferrari driver. Verstappen sat in the mix, roughly three-tenths off the pace and occupying a position near mid-pack as the clock wound down.
Norris and Russell emerged as the next fastest on the timesheets, finishing two tenths behind Sainz. Norris, representing McLaren, and Russell for Mercedes claimed second and third respectively as the night session wrapped up. It was Norris’s first strong session of the weekend, signaling a potential run for pole in a track where overtaking is notoriously tricky. Leclerc, who had shown strong form in Monza, also kept himself in the mix in Singapore, sitting fifth, just over three tenths behind his teammate.
The field spent the latter stages of the practice exiting onto the twilight track with soft tires, preparing for what would become a critical afternoon of qualifying. Fernando Alonso, driving for Aston Martin, did not enjoy a productive run in this session. The Spaniard struggled to find a favorable balance with the car at Marina Bay and finished outside the top ten, around 1 second off the pace, putting him in 13th position as the session concluded.
Singapore’s day and night conditions create distinct performance windows, and the most representative times often come from the second practice on Friday. In those early sessions, Sainz and Leclerc had shown the strongest pace, and the expectation now centers on the afternoon’s AI-driven analysis and the official classification starting at 15:00 local time. The pole position is a critical advantage on this urban street circuit, where the pressure to secure a favorable grid spot can define the race outcome, given the limited overtaking opportunities.
Singapore GP Free 3
1. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) 1:32.065
2. George Russell (Mercedes) 1:32.134
3. Lando Norris (McLaren) 1:32.303
4. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 1:32.378
5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 1:32.381
6. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1:32.535
7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 1:32.730
8. Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) 1:32.784
9. Nico Hülkenberg (Haas) 1:32.896
10. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) 1:32.945
11. Kevin Magnussen (Haas) 1:32.970
12. Esteban Ocon (Alpine) 1:32.979
13. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) 1:33.051
14. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) 1:33.126
15. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) 1:33.351
16. Liam Lawson (AlphaTauri) 1:33.357
17. Alex Albon (Williams) 1:33.370
18. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) 1:33.540
19. Guanyu Zhou (Alfa Romeo) 1:33.637
20. Logan Sargeant (Williams) 1:33.708