The final hour of preparation ahead of qualifying produced a dramatic battle in Singapore. Max Verstappen narrowly topped the timesheets in FP3. The Red Bull driver set a 1:30.148 to finish just 0.017s ahead of Oscar Piastri. Third, for Mercedes, came George Russell in this session. Less than half a tenth covered the leading trio in what promises to be a close fight for pole under the lights later today.
Haas and Tsunoda Lead Early Exchanges on Mediums
The session began in relatively subdued fashion. Haas sent both cars out first on medium tyres, with Yuki Tsunoda and a handful of others following suit. Strategy already loomed large: with the Singapore Grand Prix expected to be a one-stop race. This is unless the Safety Car has to intervene; most teams will be carefully preserving their medium compounds for Sunday.
Tsunoda, who impressed on Friday despite a disrupted run on the softs, went fastest early on with a 1:33.743. The Japanese driver, still fighting to secure his Formula 1 future beyond 2025, showed strong pace but slipped back later, ultimately finishing only 18th.
McLaren soon joined the fray, with Lando Norris and Piastri exchanging quick laps on medium tyres. Norris briefly led, but Williams opted for an aggressive approach, sending their cars out on the softest compound from the outset for qualifying simulations. Mercedes and Verstappen held back, biding their time as track evolution came into play.
Lawson Crashes Again as Singapore Proves Costly
The first major drama struck just after 10 minutes when Liam Lawson crashed heavily for a second consecutive day. The Racing Bulls driver lost control between Turns 7 and 8, damaging both the front and rear of his car. After a strong showing in Baku, Singapore has unravelled into a costly weekend for the Kiwi. His accident caused another lengthy red flag, interrupting early soft-tyre runs for Russell and rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli.
Mercedes and Williams Show Speed
Once running resumed, the session gained momentum. Carlos Sainz went second behind Norris but later locked up into Turn 10’s escape road, while Alex Albon impressed by slotting his Williams into third. Ocon, meanwhile, voiced his frustration over Haas’s overnight changes, describing his car as “a disaster”.
Mercedes eventually showed their hand, Antonelli briefly topping the order with a 1:30.760. The 18-year-old Italian continues to impress in his debut campaign, finishing the session fourth, just 0.040s shy of Verstappen. His teammate Russell, nursing bruises from his crash on Friday, looked sharp, ending up third. Hamilton, however, faces a potential headache: the stewards will investigate him after the session for a red flag infringement.
Hadjar Shines, Alonso Frustrated
Elsewhere, Isack Hadjar once again underlined his talented reputation. Despite limited experience on street circuits, the French-Algerian rookie was a consistent fixture in the top 10 and ended sixth. Fernando Alonso’s afternoon ended in frustration after Aston Martin instructed him to limp home with 15 minutes to go, leaving him down in 14th.
Verstappen Edges Ultra-Close Finish at the Top
As the final runs unfolded, Leclerc briefly went top with a 1:30.651, but he was swiftly deposed as Norris and Hamilton improved. Yet it was Verstappen, still without a victory around the Marina Bay Circuit, who delivered the decisive lap. Piastri came closest to denying him, just 0.017s short, with Russell a further 0.032s back.
The closing stages saw barely a whisker separate the frontrunners: Antonelli and Norris ended tied on identical times in fourth and fifth, while only 0.089s covered the top five.
With so little between Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes, and Ferrari lurking close behind, qualifying promises to be an electrifying shootout under the Singapore floodlights.