Norris Tops Singapore GP Practice, Verstappen Struggles

McLaren's Lando Norris led the second practice session at the Singapore Grand Prix, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc close behind. Red Bull's Max Verstappen struggled, finishing 15th. Mercedes' George Russell crashed but continued, while several other drivers made notable performances.

McLaren's Lando Norris set the pace in a floodlit second practice session at the Singapore Grand Prix on Friday, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc close on his heels. Red Bull's championship leader, Max Verstappen, only managed 15th place.

Norris clocked a best time of one minute 30.727 seconds, 0.058 seconds faster than Leclerc, reversing the results of the earlier daylight session. Verstappen, who is 59 points ahead of Norris with seven rounds to go, was 1.294 seconds off the pace, with teammate Sergio Perez eighth at the challenging Marina Bay street circuit.

Meanwhile, Mercedes driver George Russell, who ended the night seventh fastest, collided with the wall in the closing minutes at turn eight but managed to return to the pits without the car's front wing. Argentine rookie Franco Colapinto made a minor error by stopping at the Alpine pits instead of Williams, finishing 16th fastest. Other notable performances included RB's Yuki Tsunoda in fourth and McLaren's Oscar Piastri in fifth. Lewis Hamilton, a four-time winner in Singapore, came 11th for Mercedes, with Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso 12th.

(With inputs from agencies.)