Friday at Marina Bay in frames: a messy, dramatic start under the lights
The opening day of the Singapore Grand Prix delivered the usual cocktail of drama that makes Marina Bay such a compelling challenge. Under the night sky, the field wrestled with evolving grip, heavy traffic and multiple interruptions that repeatedly reshaped run plans — and the gallery captures it all in vivid detail.
Red flags and razor-thin margins
FP2 was punctuated by stoppages, with notable incidents including Liam Lawson’s crunching Turn 17 hit that left his Racing Bulls at the pit-lane entrance and brought out a red flag. The disruptions denied several drivers — including Lewis Hamilton — a clean run on softs to post a truly representative lap.
The pace-setters and the chasers
Oscar Piastri led the way for McLaren, while Isack Hadjar’s impressive P2 hinted at Racing Bulls’ raw one-lap speed. Max Verstappen slotted third, keeping McLaren in sight as teams juggled setup compromises. Elsewhere, Yuki Tsunoda voiced frustration at another disjointed FP2, a trend he noted has followed from Zandvoort to Monza and Baku.
Singapore’s unique challenge in pictures
From the high-speed flicks to the stop-start sequence through the tight harbour section, the images showcase cars dancing over kerbs, millimetres from the walls. The changing light, reflections and heat haze tell the story of a circuit that rewards precision and punishes overreach.
What the lenses reveal
- Night-time conditions magnify traffic and timing issues for quali sims.
- Kerb usage at Turns 16/17 remains a decisive risk–reward trade-off.
- Small setup changes can yield big confidence gains on corner entry.
Dive into the full gallery to relive the standout moments from a stop-start but compelling Friday — and set the scene for a high-stakes Saturday under the Singapore lights.
