2025 Singapore GP FP1: Alonso sets the pace with Aston Martin

Fernando Alonso rolled back the years on Friday evening to top the opening practice session for the 2025 Singapore Grand Prix, surprising many by putting Aston Martin ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and the Red Bull of Max Verstappen. The two-time World Champion’s 1m 31.116s lap came in the closing stages of FP1, sealing his spot at the top of the timesheets as Formula 1’s 2025 World Championship resumed at the spectacular Marina Bay Street Circuit.

The session began at 17:30 local time under heavy, humid skies, with the track still carrying moisture from afternoon showers. The punishing conditions prompted the FIA to issue a pre-weekend ‘heat hazard’, the first in F1 history after the extreme Qatar Grand Prix in 2023, meaning all cars were running with a mandatory Driver Cooling System. With temperatures soaring, all 20 cars were quick to get out on track once the pit lane light turned green, most on hard tyres, while Aston Martin rolled the dice on mediums despite a few damp patches around the circuit.

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There was early drama for Alex Albon as smoke poured from the rear of his Williams, mechanics rushing with extinguishers and air blowers to contain the issue. The Thai-British driver managed only two laps before Williams confirmed a rear brake hardware failure had sidelined him for the rest of the session. The team remained “confident” of a fix in time for FP2.

As the rest of the grid settled in, Lando Norris briefly held the benchmark with a 1m 33.388s despite a slide at Turn 17, while Leclerc had his own scare with a lock-up at Turn 13. Just 15 minutes in, Alonso was already showing his intent, moving into P1 with a 1m 32.592s on mediums, ahead of Verstappen, Leclerc, and the McLaren pair of Oscar Piastri and Norris, all running the harder compound. Carlos Sainz also impressed with strong early laps on hards.

The intensity built quickly. Pierre Gasly overshot Turn 14 in his Alpine, while Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton brushed the wall at the same corner, showing how fine the margins are at Marina Bay. Alonso pushed on to a 1m 32.054s before Sainz snatched the top spot with a 1m 31.812s, times already within sight of Leclerc’s FP1 benchmark from 2024 (1m 31.763s).

Once the field turned to soft tyres, the order shuffled again. Leclerc fired in a 1m 31.266s, Verstappen slotted behind, and Norris jumped into contention. Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar continued his eye-catching form with a top-six effort. But as the chequered flag approached, Alonso delivered a statement lap of 1m 31.116s, reclaiming P1 by 0.150s from Leclerc, with Verstappen just 0.276s adrift in third. Hamilton took fourth, while Piastri, battling understeer and looking to bounce back after losing championship ground in Baku, snatched fifth ahead of Norris.

Behind them, Hadjar, Sainz, Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda, and Haas’s Esteban Ocon rounded out the top 10. Mercedes had a subdued start, George Russell slotting into 11th and rookie Kimi Antonelli 14th, split by Nico Hulkenberg and Gasly. Further back, Liam Lawson, Ollie Bearman, Gabriel Bortoleto, Lance Stroll, and Franco Colapinto filled the lower order, with Albon rooted to last after his early exit.

2025 Singapore GP FP1 Results

2025 Singapore Grand Prix FP1, 3 October 2025