F1: Leclerc tops final ‘wet’ practice for Singapore GP

After a long delay to clean up standing water on the track from earlier heavy rain, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc turned the fastest lap in final practice for the Singapore GP on Intermediate tires once the track partially dried.

Leclerc turned a lap of 1m57.782s on a drying track to top the Red Bull of Max Verstappen by 0.526s.

Carlos Sainz Jr.  was third quick in the 2nd Ferrari, 1.066s behind his teammate.

Fernando Alonso was 4th for Alpine, 1.647s behind in a session that tells us absolutely nothing if the track stays dry for qualifying.

Sergio Perez rounded out the top-5 in the 2nd Red Bull, 1.744s back.

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton were 9th and 12th respectively as the British TV announces came up with every excuse in the book why their mates were so slow in the wet.

Leclerc stuck his Ferrari on pole here in 2019, and knows what it takes to extract a brilliant lap around the Marina Bay circuit. Vettel, Alonso and Hamilton also have poles from this track – Verstappen does not.

Will more rain arrive? Will it be a dry or wet session, or even mixed? And who does that favor?

Charles Leclerc in the wet

The facts gleaned so far point towards Ferrari, with Mercedes not looking as competitive in the wet as they did in the dry, and Red Bull definitely still not unveiling their full hand.

Practice 3 Results

POS DRIVER NAT. TEAM TIME BEHIND
1 Charles Leclerc MON Scuderia Ferrari 1m57.782s 1:57.782
2 Max Verstappen NED Oracle Red Bull Racing 1m58.308s +0.526
3 Carlos Sainz ESP Scuderia Ferrari 1m58.848s +1.066
4 Fernando Alonso ESP BWT Alpine F1 Team 1m59.429s +1.647
5 Sergio Perez MEX Oracle Red Bull Racing 1m59.562s +1.744
6 Lance Stroll CAN Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant 2m00.373s +2.591
7 Esteban Ocon FRA BWT Alpine F1 Team 2m00.911s +3.129
8 Sebastian Vettel GER Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant 2m01.007s +3.225
9 George Russell GBR Mercedes AMG Petronas 2m01.010s +3.228
10 Daniel Ricciardo AUS McLaren F1 Team 2m01.036s +3.254
11 Kevin Magnussen DEN Haas F1 Team 2m01.089s +3.307
12 Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes AMG Petronas 2m01.220s +3.438
13 Pierre Gasly FRA Scuderia AlphaTauri 2m01.245s +3.463
14 Mick Schumacher GER Haas F1 Team 2m01.502s +3.720
15 Yuki Tsunoda JPN Scuderia AlphaTauri 2m01.679s +3.897
16 Lando Norris GBR McLaren F1 Team 2m01.791s +4.009
17 Alex Albon THA Williams Racing 2m01.907s +4.125
18 Valtteri Bottas FIN Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen 2m02.066s +4.284
19 Zhou Guanyu CHN Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen 2m02.599s +4.817
20 Nicholas Latifi CAN Williams Racing 2m03.510s +5.728