F1 – Sainz quickest in FP2 in Singapore as Ferrari finish 1-2
Carlos Sainz led a Ferrari 1-2 in second practice for the 2022 FIA Formula 1 2022 Singapore Grand Prix with the Spaniard finishing two tenths of a second ahead of team-mate Charles Leclerc. Mercedes’ George Russell was third ahead championship leader Max Verstappen who completed just eight laps, while Leclerc only managed 14.
At the start of the session Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas was first out on track and he established the early benchmark of 1:45.839s on medium tyres, before he was beaten by Russell and then by the other Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton. Sainz then took over in P1 with a lap of 1:43.710, set on medium tyres, before Hamilton snuck back ahead with a 1:43.668 a few minutes later. As the session reached the 20-minute mark Sainz moved back to the top of the times with a lap of 1:43.237.
There had been no sign of the Red Bulls in the opening third but at last Verstappen appeared, on hard tyres. He immediately jumped to fifth place with a lap of 1:44.645 before heading straight back to the pitlane, where he’d remain until the final minutes of the session, sliding back towards the lower midfield as better times came in.
The champion’s team-mate Sergio Pérez then joined the fray, on the C5 soft compound tyres. His first flying lap was not good, however, and he ended up in eighth place. He dropped to 14th as rivals improved but his next lap of 1:43.906 boosted him back to P8 again.
Sainz then bolted on soft tyres and he improved on his P1 time, establishing a new benchmark at 1:42.751. Leclerc then finally took to the track on medium after spending a long time in the garage as his team worked on the floor of his car. He ran just 0.1s slower than Sainz’s best.
The Spaniard had more in the tank, however, and he improved to 1:42.587, with Leclerc slotting into second 0.295s back on used mediums. Russell dropped to third and Hamilton to fourth. Leclerc then moved to softs and posted a time that kept him second but 0.208s down.
With four minutes of the session left on the clock, Verstappen finally reappeared, on softs, and he slotted in fourth behind Russell’s best soft-tyre effort from earlier in the session.
That pushed Hamilton and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon back to fifth and sixth in the final order, with Bottas and Alpine’s Fernando Alonso seventh and eighth, as Pérez finished a troubled ninth. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll rounded out the top 10.
There was trouble for Pierre Gasly, with the French driver being forced to jump out of his AlphaTauri when being wheeled back into his garage as flames burst from the car’s airbox.
2022 FIA Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix – Free Practice 2
1 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 11:42.587 23 177.671
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 11:42.795 0.208 14 177.312
3 George Russell Mercedes 11:42.911 0.324 26 177.112
4 Max Verstappen Red Bull 11:42.926 0.339 8 177.086
5 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 11:43.182 0.595 22 176.647
6 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 11:43.412 0.825 23 176.254
7 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 11:43.431 0.844 26 176.221
8 Fernando Alonso Alpine/Renault 11:43.520 0.933 23 176.070
9 Sergio Pérez Red Bull 11:43.906 1.319 13 175.416
10 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 11:43.982 1.395 21 175.288
11 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 11:44.013 1.426 16 175.235
12 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin/Mercedes 11:44.249 1.662 24 174.839
13 Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari 11:44.422 1.835 22 174.549
14 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri/Red Bull 11:44.469 1.882 22 174.470
15 Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 11:44.524 1.937 25 174.379
16 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 11:45.144 2.557 25 173.350
17 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri/Red Bull 11:45.211 2.624 11 173.240
18 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren/Mercedes 11:45.447 2.860 18 172.852
19 Mick Schumacher Haas/Ferrari 11:45.623 3.036 23 172.564
20 Nicholas Latifi Williams/Mercedes 11:46.553 3.966 25 171.058