Singapore GP FP1 Results: Russell Tops Old-Spec Mercedes

George Russell topped the Singapore GP FP1 results on Friday, 9 October 2026, setting 1m32.274s at Marina Bay in the older-spec Mercedes. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was 0.198s back and McLaren's Lando Norris third, 0.273s off, in the only practice session of the sprint weekend. The twist: Russell starts Sunday's Round 17 race from the back of the grid after an engine penalty, so Friday tells us about the car, not the result.

Singapore GP FP1 results: how the top seven finished

Gaps are as reported by The Race; Formula1.com's report agrees on Russell's time and Leclerc's margin. The session started at 16:30 local time in fading light on a dusty track, and most drivers spent the hour on hard tyres. Russell switched to softs late for his fastest lap, Leclerc also found his best time on softs, and Verstappen was quickest of the drivers on mediums.

Which Mercedes ran the old spec in Singapore?

Mercedes planned to run its new aero package on one car and the previous package on the other all weekend, as The Race and Crash.net reported on 7 October. According to The Race, Russell had the older spec in FP1 and Antonelli the upgrade.

The upgrade arrived at the previous round in Malaysia hoping to add about 0.3s and did not deliver it. The Race reports that team principal Toto Wolff believed it may have cost up to half a second. Singapore is a very different circuit, which is exactly why Mercedes wants the back-to-back here.

Antonelli's seventh place, 1.251s off, is not the verdict it looks like. He ran wide on his final push lap, and The Race says the two cars ended the session in different circumstances. The cleaner comparison is on hard tyres, where The Race has the Mercedes pair 0.056s apart with Antonelli ahead.

Mercedes ran a spec comparison and the old part won the session. That is a headline, not a verdict.

What happened to Hülkenberg's Audi in FP1?

Nico Hülkenberg's Audi stopped on track with a gearbox problem, which brought out a virtual safety car with less than 20 minutes left, according to Formula1.com. The car was recovered without fuss. RacingNews365 reports that Audi is investigating and wants him back in action for sprint qualifying.

What happens next in Singapore?

Sprint qualifying starts at 12:30 UTC today (20:30 local), the sprint follows on Saturday at 09:00 UTC, qualifying at 13:00 UTC and the race on Sunday at 12:00 UTC. Watch the Mercedes gap in sprint qualifying: if the upgraded car closes on the old one with a clean lap, the Malaysia puzzle gets smaller.

Make your Singapore picks on /predict before sprint qualifying starts, and follow every session on /live.