Lando Norris fastest after lizard halts running in final practice
McLaren's Lando Norris sets the pace heading into qualifying in Singapore.
F1 title challenger Lando Norris set the pace in final practice at the Singapore Grand Prix which was red-flagged because of a lizard on track.
Norris topped the timesheet by nearly half a second (0.479s) from Mercedes’ George Russell as the McLaren driver picked up where he left off on Friday by looking the overwhelming favourite for pole position. Teammate Oscar Piastri was third-fastest, 0.785s slower than Norris.
After struggling throughout Friday’s two practice sessions, Max Verstappen had a better FP3, but was still over eight-tenths adrift in his Red Bull as he took fourth.
The three-time world champion leads the championship by 59 points over Norris heading into the weekend and is looking to avoid seeing his advantage shrink for the fourth successive race.
Next up came the Ferrari pair of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, both of whom were a second off the pace. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was seventh but 1.2s slower than Norris and seven tenths behind his Mercedes teammate.
Williams duo Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto were an encouraging eighth and ninth, while Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso completed the top-10 order.
Sergio Perez endured a difficult session, finishing down in 15th with a lap which was nearly a full second off what his teammate Verstappen managed.
The session was bizarrely disrupted due to a lizard making its way onto the Marina Bay Street Circuit, forcing an early red flag so that marshals could usher the speedy reptile to safety.
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