2025 Singapore GP FP2: Piastri sets pace amid red flags and pit lane drama

Oscar Piastri led the way under the Marina Bay floodlights on Friday night, topping a disrupted second practice session for the 2025 Singapore Grand Prix. The McLaren driver’s late 1m 30.714s effort edged Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar by just 0.132s, with Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso close behind in a tightly packed top four. The session, however, was as much about interruptions and incidents as it was about outright speed.

The one-hour session began at 21:00 local time, with slightly cooler conditions than those in FP1, and the track was fully lit for the first representative running of the weekend. Nico Hülkenberg led the pack out, while Alex Albon was a notable early returnee after his brake hardware failure curtailed his FP1 effort. The rookies looked eager to push, with Gabriel Bortoleto sliding wide in his Kick Sauber and Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli having a nervous moment, before Championship contender Lando Norris briefly set the benchmark at 1m 31.716s on medium tyres.

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Mercedes’ evening took a blow when George Russell clipped the Turn 16 barriers, breaking the nose of his W16 and scattering debris. “That was weird,” he radioed, as the first red flag of the session was thrown. With half an hour left on the clock, running resumed and drivers began switching to the soft compound. Haas’s Esteban Ocon briefly topped the sheets with a 1m 31.480s before the session was halted again, this time after Liam Lawson struck the wall exiting Turn 17, his Racing Bulls coming to rest at the pit entry.

What followed was perhaps the most unusual moment of FP2. As cars queued in the pit lane, Charles Leclerc and Norris made contact when the Ferrari was released alongside the McLaren, forcing Norris into the pit wall and damaging his front wing. “He just drove straight into me,” Norris fumed over the radio. The incident, classified as a potential unsafe release, would be investigated after the session, but both drivers managed to rejoin the running in the final minutes.

With time short, the session built to a frenetic conclusion. Piastri vaulted to the top with a 1m 30.714s, signalling intent after losing ground in the championship last time out in Baku. Hadjar’s stunning P2 lap underlined Racing Bulls’ progress, while Verstappen’s 1m 30.857s and Alonso’s 1m 30.877s left less than two tenths covering the leading quartet. Norris had to settle for fifth, sandwiched between Alonso and Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll, while Ocon’s earlier speed delivered seventh. Williams’ Carlos Sainz and Ferrari pair Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton completed the top 10.

Further back, Yuki Tsunoda narrowly missed the cut in P11, ahead of Haas rookie Ollie Bearman, Albon, Hülkenberg, and Bortoleto. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly could do no better than 16th, while Lawson, Antonelli, Franco Colapinto, and the sidelined Russell rounded out the field.

2025 Singapore GP FP2 Results

2025 Singapore Grand Prix FP2, 3 October 2025