Fernando Alonso Tops First Session at Singapore Grand Prix
Marina Bay Street Circuit
This weekend features the main event beginning at 13:00 BST on Sunday.
Live updates provided on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and mobile app.
Practice Session Summary
Aston Martin's two-time champion topped the times beating Scuderia star and Red Bull's Max Verstappen in FP1 at the street circuit event.
The British team's drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris finished the run in mid-table positions.
Piastri was 0.217 seconds faster than his teammate.
Alonso was 0.150secs leading of the Ferrari driver and over a quarter of a second faster than Verstappen.
The Italian squad's British icon was fourth fastest.
Weekend Outlook
Few anticipate that Aston Martin will be in the mix for the top spot.
That said, the squad are optimistic of a better weekend on a tight circuit that is better matched to their vehicle, which excels when significant amounts of aerodynamic grip are needed.
Two-time champion Alonso is also famous as a street circuit master, and usually excels on the Marina Bay street track.
But he was almost certainly using reduced weight or a increased power than his opponents, or each, to achieve that pace.
Session Details
His team-mate Lance Stroll was almost two seconds behind in 18th place.
He had difficulties with his seat at the start and was also evaluating experimental parts.
FP1 in Marina Bay is not indicative of conditions under lights as it is conducted in afternoon sun in early evening, while grid-deciding session and the race are staged after dark.
Championship Standings
Piastri has an advantage over his teammate by 25 points with the final stretch ahead heading into the event in the Lion City.
McLaren are set to wrap up the manufacturers' crown on Sunday.
The only way they can miss out in Singapore is if Mercedes surpass them by over thirty or the Scuderia manage it by a similar margin.
Red Bull Update
Red Bull are optimistic of a positive weekend after Verstappen's victories in Italy and Azerbaijan leading into this weekend.
It was a relief when light rain coming down before the session cleared by the point the vehicles went out on a track that had remained dry.
Team consultant Helmut Marko said prior to running that they needed a clear session to get underway on optimizing their chassis settings for the weekend.
