F1 Singapore GP: Charles Leclerc half a second clear of Max Verstappen in wet final practice, Mercedes struggle
Heavy rain ahead of the sessꦑion meant the start of FP3 was delayed while marshals worked to clear standing water, before the pit lane was declared open with 30 minutes remaining on the clock.
The drivers initially took to the track on full wet tyres but times tumbled as the circuit dried out and the field switched to intermediates, with Leclerc andꦉ Verstappen trading fastest laps.
Leclerc beat Verstappen to the quick𒁏est time by 0.526s on a weekend where the Red Bull driver could seal a second world title.
The Dutchman holds a 1🥃16-point advantage 🧸over Leclerc at the top of the standings and needs to win in Singapore - as well as requiring a shocker from his rivals - in order to wrap up the 2022 title with five races to spare.
was a second down on his Ferrari teammate in third, ahead of Alpine’s , the second Red Bull of and Aston Martin’s.and ensured their teamsಞ had two cars inside the top 10🍷, which also featured Mercedes’ and McLaren’s.
It was an awful session for Mercedes as both Russel꧅l and FP1 pacesetter struggled with warm-up▨ issues in the damp conditions.
The seven-time world champion was a lowly 12th, while R𝕴ussell was still a whopping🌼 3.2s off the pace in ninth.
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