Oscar Piastri led the way in a disrupted second Practice session under the lights in Singapore. He put McLaren right back on top after a muted showing in FP1. The Australian’s 1:30.725 lap on soft tyres proved enough to hold off an impressive Isack Hadjar and a resurgent Max Verstappen.This turned out to be a session punctuated by two red flags and a bizarre pit lane clash. Not to forget: plenty of near misses with the Marina Bay walls.
It was a far livelier affair than the earlier running, where Fernando Alonso had set the benchmark for Aston Martin on soft tyres. The Spaniard, twice a winner in Singapore, looked sharp across compounds in FP2 as well. His consistency suggested he could be a dark horse for the weekend despite ending only fourth fastest.
Early Trouble: Red Flags and Pit Lane Drama
The session had barely settled before George Russell became its first casualty, losing the rear of his Mercedes into Turn 16 and breaking his front wing against the barriers. With his car stranded and debris littering the circuit, the red flags flew just 20 minutes into running. His teammate Kimi Antonelli, meanwhile, quietly gathered mileage, one of the few drivers to stay out of trouble.
Not long after the resumption, Liam Lawson suffered a heavier hit, clipping the wall at Turn 17 and damaging both right-hand corners of his car. The Kiwi, fresh from a career-best P5 in Baku, was forced to park up with sparks flying as the tyre carcass unravelled. His evening was done.
Then came the most unusual incident of the night. Charles Leclerc was released into the fast lane alongside Lando Norris, the Ferrari nudging the McLaren into the pit wall. Norris was forced back to the garage for a new front wing. The stewards confirmed they will investigate Ferrari for an unsafe release. Both men later returned to the circuit, though Norris never quite recovered the rhythm, finishing only fifth.
McLaren Back on Form
For much of FP2 it looked as though McLaren were intent on reasserting their dominance. Piastri and Norris traded blows at the top early on before the red flags interrupted soft-tyre simulations. When the session finally hit its stride, Piastri delivered the decisive lap, with Norris struggling to match him despite multiple attempts.
Hadjar, bouncing back after a difficult weekend in Baku, stunned with second place, just 0.132s off Piastri despite running on well-worn softs. Verstappen slotted into third, 0.143s back, looking far more comfortable than in recent Fridays. Maybe determined to tick Singapore off his winless list.
Behind them, Alonso’s pace on all three tyre compounds underlined Aston Martin’s promise. While Lance Stroll completed a quietly strong day for the team with P6. Lewis Hamilton, now leading Ferrari in his debut season in red, flirted with the walls but kept it tidy to claim tenth on used mediums. Carlos Sainz once again showed his consistency in P8.
Further down, Lawson’s crash left him stranded in the standings. While fellow rookie Gabriel Bortoleto expressed frustration over traffic during flying laps. Ollie Bearman and Nico Hülkenberg both had hairy moments at Turn 16 and Turn 17, respectively. Both underlining just how treacherous the track remained.
The Bigger Picture
McLaren head into the weekend with a chance to seal the Constructors’ Championship, while Piastri leads Norris by 25 points in the Drivers’ standings. Tonight’s session showed the papaya team are back in their usual groove after a shaky FP1.
But the headlines don’t tell the whole story. Two red flags, a pit lane collision, and the ever-present threat of the barriers meant many programmes were compromised. Fuel loads are still a mystery and the track is expected to evolve further before qualifying tomorrow. So it remains far from clear who truly holds the upper hand.
Still, Alonso’s consistency and Verstappen’s hunger—despite Ferrari’s pit lane mishap—suggest McLaren won’t have it all their own way. Saturday promises fireworks in Singapore.