Formula 1 leader Max Verstappen also had problems with his Red Bull in the last free practice session before qualifying for the night race in Singapore.
The 25-year-old series winner and two-time world champion couldn’t get past fourth place in the one-hour practice session. “Unacceptable,” Verstappen complained at times about problems with shifting gears.
The Spaniard Carlos Sainz turned the fastest lap in a Ferrari. This means that the best training times all went to the Scuderia; the day before, Charles Leclerc from Monaco was also at the front in a session. Briton George Russell came second in the Mercedes, just 69 thousandths of a second behind Sainz. Lando Norris finished third in the McLaren ahead of Verstappen and record world champion Lewis Hamilton in the second Mercedes. Nico Hülkenberg finished ninth in the Haas.
Verstappen can take another step towards his third world title this Sunday (2 p.m. CEST/Sky). Depending on the outcome of the race at the Singapore Grand Prix, he could mathematically achieve another triumph just one week later in Suzuka, Japan. He has 145 points more in the ranking than teammate Sergio Pérez in second place.
