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Singapore Grand Prix: Daniel Ricciardo top as Mercedes appear slow
Text and audio commentary of second practice is live on the BBC Sport website
Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo headed the times in first practice at the Singapore Grand Prix as championship leader Lewis Hamilton was fourth fastest.
Ricciardo led Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel by 0.109 seconds, with Max Verstappen third quickest in the other Red Bull.
Hamilton was 0.415secs off the pace in his Mercedes but set his time earlier in the session when the track was not as fast.
His team-mate Valtteri Bottas was sixth, behind Force India's Sergio Perez, complaining of a lack of rear grip.
Swami
Text and audio commentary of second practice is live on the BBC Sport website
Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo headed the times in first practice at the Singapore Grand Prix as championship leader Lewis Hamilton was fourth fastest.
Ricciardo led Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel by 0.109 seconds, with Max Verstappen third quickest in the other Red Bull.
Hamilton was 0.415secs off the pace in his Mercedes but set his time earlier in the session when the track was not as fast.
His team-mate Valtteri Bottas was sixth, behind Force India's Sergio Perez, complaining of a lack of rear grip.
Swami
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Singapore Grand Prix: Daniel Ricciardo supreme for Red Bull as Ferrari struggle
By Andrew Benson
Qualifying and the race are live on 5 live, sports extra and the BBC Sport website
Daniel Ricciardo set an impressive pace as he led a Red Bull one-two in second practice at the Singapore Grand Prix with Lewis Hamilton third.
Ricciardo led team-mate Max Verstappen by 0.556 seconds with Hamilton 0.147secs adrift as the Briton's title rival Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari struggled.
The German ended up 11th quickest after aborting one timed lap for traffic and then spinning into the barriers on the second.
His team-mate Kimi Raikkonen was also in trouble and ended up ninth.
Renault driver Nico Hulkenberg was an impressive fifth fastest, behind Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas, and just ahead of the McLarens of Stoffel Vandoorne and Fernando Alonso on a day McLaren's split from Honda was finally confirmed and it was announced they will use Renault engines next season.
Hamilton goes into this weekend three points ahead of Vettel, on a track where Vettel and Ferrari are expected to beat their rivals.
How title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel have fared in each race this season. Hamilton has six wins, Vettel four
Race simulations: Red Bull could win this
The headline from the day was the stunning performance of the Red Bull, particularly in the hands of Ricciardo.
The Australian was not only half a second clear of the field on the short runs on which teams simulate qualifying, but was also a similar margin ahead on average on the longer race-simulation runs of consecutive laps.
Those long runs gave a clearer picture of Ferrari's competitiveness, with Vettel narrowly slower than Hamilton, who was the next quickest driver after Ricciardo.
Vettel's true pace in qualifying trim was not seen because he had traffic on his first lap and then a half-spin, brushing the barriers, on his second. He did set a couple of fastest-of-all sectors of the lap but did not overall appear to have the pace to challenge Ricciardo.
His fractured session, though, did mean it was difficult to draw any meaningful conclusions about how Hamilton and Vettel might match up over one lap.
"Obviously not ideal I lost the car in the middle sector on my second attempt," said Vettel. "I am not yet happy. I am missing a little bit the balance and then you miss the confidence. We'll see what we can do tomorrow."
How does Jack Nicholls prepare for the Singapore GP?
The Marina Bay circuit is notorious for the size of the challenge it creates, with a long lap, a bumpy surface and concrete walls around it, all in high temperatures and humidity.
But there were remarkably few incidents, the most serious being Vettel's relatively harmless half-spin into the barriers at Turn 10, from which the car appeared to emerge largely unscathed.
A number of other drivers had moments, Verstappen, Alonso and Haas driver Romain Grosjean all brushing the wall, and the Frenchman also spinning, but all the cars got through the day without major damage.
Swami
By Andrew Benson
Qualifying and the race are live on 5 live, sports extra and the BBC Sport website
Daniel Ricciardo set an impressive pace as he led a Red Bull one-two in second practice at the Singapore Grand Prix with Lewis Hamilton third.
Ricciardo led team-mate Max Verstappen by 0.556 seconds with Hamilton 0.147secs adrift as the Briton's title rival Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari struggled.
The German ended up 11th quickest after aborting one timed lap for traffic and then spinning into the barriers on the second.
His team-mate Kimi Raikkonen was also in trouble and ended up ninth.
Renault driver Nico Hulkenberg was an impressive fifth fastest, behind Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas, and just ahead of the McLarens of Stoffel Vandoorne and Fernando Alonso on a day McLaren's split from Honda was finally confirmed and it was announced they will use Renault engines next season.
Hamilton goes into this weekend three points ahead of Vettel, on a track where Vettel and Ferrari are expected to beat their rivals.
- Read: Red Bull to split with Renault at end of 2018 season
- Predict who will top qualifying at Marina Bay
How title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel have fared in each race this season. Hamilton has six wins, Vettel four
Race simulations: Red Bull could win this
The headline from the day was the stunning performance of the Red Bull, particularly in the hands of Ricciardo.
The Australian was not only half a second clear of the field on the short runs on which teams simulate qualifying, but was also a similar margin ahead on average on the longer race-simulation runs of consecutive laps.
Those long runs gave a clearer picture of Ferrari's competitiveness, with Vettel narrowly slower than Hamilton, who was the next quickest driver after Ricciardo.
Vettel's true pace in qualifying trim was not seen because he had traffic on his first lap and then a half-spin, brushing the barriers, on his second. He did set a couple of fastest-of-all sectors of the lap but did not overall appear to have the pace to challenge Ricciardo.
His fractured session, though, did mean it was difficult to draw any meaningful conclusions about how Hamilton and Vettel might match up over one lap.
"Obviously not ideal I lost the car in the middle sector on my second attempt," said Vettel. "I am not yet happy. I am missing a little bit the balance and then you miss the confidence. We'll see what we can do tomorrow."
How does Jack Nicholls prepare for the Singapore GP?
The Marina Bay circuit is notorious for the size of the challenge it creates, with a long lap, a bumpy surface and concrete walls around it, all in high temperatures and humidity.
But there were remarkably few incidents, the most serious being Vettel's relatively harmless half-spin into the barriers at Turn 10, from which the car appeared to emerge largely unscathed.
A number of other drivers had moments, Verstappen, Alonso and Haas driver Romain Grosjean all brushing the wall, and the Frenchman also spinning, but all the cars got through the day without major damage.
Swami
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Singapore Grand Prix: Max Verstappen quickest in third practice
By Andrew Benson
Qualifying and the race are live on 5 live, sports extra and the BBC Sport website
Red Bull's Max Verstappen headed title contenders Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton in a tight final practice session at the Singapore Grand Prix.
The Dutchman was 0.072 seconds quicker than Vettel, who was 0.07secs up on Hamilton, setting up a potentially close three-way fight in qualifying.
Verstappen's team-mate Daniel Ricciardo may have been near to the top had he not hit a wall on his final run.
McLaren impressed, with Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne fourth and fifth.
The Spaniard and the Belgian were quicker than the second Mercedes and Ferrari, with Finns Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen struggling in eighth and ninth places.
The McLarens remain slow in the speed traps, but engine power is less important in overall lap time at Singapore than at any track other Monaco and Hungary so the quality of the McLaren chassis and drivers can shine.
find a way to get Sainz into the car for the next race in Malaysia continue to circulate in the paddock, but so far Palmer has insisted he intends to see out his contract to the end of the season.
The session was interrupted for nine minutes to clear up debris left when Sauber's Marcus Ericsson hit the wall at Turn 19. The Swede's rear wing was damaged but he was able to drive the car back to the pits.
Swami
By Andrew Benson
Qualifying and the race are live on 5 live, sports extra and the BBC Sport website
Red Bull's Max Verstappen headed title contenders Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton in a tight final practice session at the Singapore Grand Prix.
The Dutchman was 0.072 seconds quicker than Vettel, who was 0.07secs up on Hamilton, setting up a potentially close three-way fight in qualifying.
Verstappen's team-mate Daniel Ricciardo may have been near to the top had he not hit a wall on his final run.
McLaren impressed, with Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne fourth and fifth.
The Spaniard and the Belgian were quicker than the second Mercedes and Ferrari, with Finns Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen struggling in eighth and ninth places.
- Read: Singapore Grand Prix: Predict who will top qualifying at Marina Bay
- Read: Fernando Alonso: McLaren 'very close' to securing driver for next season
- Read: McLaren-Honda split after three years of troubled partnership
The McLarens remain slow in the speed traps, but engine power is less important in overall lap time at Singapore than at any track other Monaco and Hungary so the quality of the McLaren chassis and drivers can shine.
find a way to get Sainz into the car for the next race in Malaysia continue to circulate in the paddock, but so far Palmer has insisted he intends to see out his contract to the end of the season.
The session was interrupted for nine minutes to clear up debris left when Sauber's Marcus Ericsson hit the wall at Turn 19. The Swede's rear wing was damaged but he was able to drive the car back to the pits.
Swami
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Singapore Grand Prix: Sebastian Vettel storms to stunning pole position
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Singapore
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel stormed to a stunning pole position at the Singapore Grand Prix as title rival Lewis Hamilton managed only fifth.
Vettel was 0.323 seconds quicker than Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who edged out team-mate Daniel Ricciardo.
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen was 0.578secs slower than the German and Hamilton 0.635s adrift of Vettel.
The result gives Vettel a golden opportunity to reclaim the championship lead from Hamilton on Sunday.
Hamilton took the outright lead for the first time this season with victory in Italy last time out, but Vettel has the chance not only to overturn the Briton's three-point advantage but to extend a significant lead.
Mercedes have lacked pace on this tight and twisty track, as they always expected they would, and Hamilton does not appear to have the pace to challenge the Red Bulls and Ferraris in front of him.
Ferrari had lacked pace on Friday, when Vettel had a spin and brushed a wall, but Vettel looked stronger from the start of running on Saturday and saved his best to last.
"I shouted louder on the radio than probably ever before," Vettel said. "I love this track. The car was tricky but it came alive and was getting better and better as the night came on. I am really glad we got it done.
"I knew we had it in us. It was a bit of a struggle to get there, but we did it.
"Tomorrow is a long race. These guys (Red Bull) are very quick and I think it will be a close race.
Ricciardo, who was quickest in both practice sessions on Friday, said he was "still confident" he could get victory on Sunday and the stage is set for a titanic struggle in the race.
Swami
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Singapore
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel stormed to a stunning pole position at the Singapore Grand Prix as title rival Lewis Hamilton managed only fifth.
Vettel was 0.323 seconds quicker than Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who edged out team-mate Daniel Ricciardo.
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen was 0.578secs slower than the German and Hamilton 0.635s adrift of Vettel.
The result gives Vettel a golden opportunity to reclaim the championship lead from Hamilton on Sunday.
Hamilton took the outright lead for the first time this season with victory in Italy last time out, but Vettel has the chance not only to overturn the Briton's three-point advantage but to extend a significant lead.
Mercedes have lacked pace on this tight and twisty track, as they always expected they would, and Hamilton does not appear to have the pace to challenge the Red Bulls and Ferraris in front of him.
Ferrari had lacked pace on Friday, when Vettel had a spin and brushed a wall, but Vettel looked stronger from the start of running on Saturday and saved his best to last.
"I shouted louder on the radio than probably ever before," Vettel said. "I love this track. The car was tricky but it came alive and was getting better and better as the night came on. I am really glad we got it done.
"I knew we had it in us. It was a bit of a struggle to get there, but we did it.
"Tomorrow is a long race. These guys (Red Bull) are very quick and I think it will be a close race.
Ricciardo, who was quickest in both practice sessions on Friday, said he was "still confident" he could get victory on Sunday and the stage is set for a titanic struggle in the race.
Swami
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Lewis Hamilton wins in Singapore after Ferrari crash
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Singapore
Lewis Hamilton drove a masterful race to win the Singapore Grand Prix and take a stranglehold on the title as rival Sebastian Vettel crashed out.
Hamilton, who started fifth after struggling in qualifying, was leading by the first corner after Vettel collided with Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen and Red Bull's Max Verstappen at the start.
It could be a defining moment in the championship. Vettel was expected to re-take the lead at a track on which Ferrari had an advantage over Mercedes. Instead, Hamilton heads into the final six races of the season with a 28-point advantage.
Hamilton did so after one of his most impressive drives. Mercedes went into the race thinking about damage limitation, with team boss Toto Wolff talking about the best possible result being to limit the loss of points to Vettel.
It was the first time Ferrari have retired both cars on the first lap, ever
But the Briton managed to avoid the chaos on the run to the first corner and slotted into the lead ahead of Daniel Ricciardo.
The Australian would have been expected to challenge Hamilton, Red Bull having had a clear pace advantage over Mercedes all weekend.
But Hamilton began reeling off fastest laps, and he remained serene through a madcap race that started wet, was dry for almost half its distance, featured three safety cars as a result of a series of incidents and ran to only 58 of its scheduled 61 laps because of the two-hour time limit.
A crucial misjudgement?
The first safety car came almost immediately. Despite heavy rain falling and a wet track, the race started competitively rather than behind a safety car.
Verstappen, starting second, made a better start than Vettel did from pole, but both were out-done by Raikkonen, who moved to the inside and was soon edging ahead of the Red Bull.
Not knowing his team-mate was there, Vettel veered aggressively across the track to defend from Verstappen, leaving the Dutchman nowhere to go.
Verstappen tried to edge left to avoid Vettel, but he and Raikkonen touched, the Finn spun and collected his team-mate.
Fernando Alonso goes flying - an innocent victim in the first-corner madness
Raikkonen slid sideways down the track and hit Verstappen broadside at the first corner, the two careering into Fernando Alonso's McLaren, which was briefly up to third place behind Hamilton and Ricciardo as he took his usual outside line at the first corner.
Alonso's car was launched, and spun in mid-air, damaging his floor and side-pod and leading to his retirement after a few slow laps.
Vettel, who was in scintillating form in taking pole on Saturday, tried to continue, but his car was badly damaged, its front wing missing and fluid leaking from the rear.
This caught him out as he accelerated out of Turn Three, and he spun into the wall after losing grip on his car's own fluids at Turn Four. He was told to retire before getting halfway around the first lap.
Reaction to the incident
All three men were called to the stewards to explain the incident but officials decided that "no driver was wholly or predominantly to blame" and decided to take no further action.
Vettel said: "I didn't see that much. I saw Max and then the next thing I see is Max and Kimi hitting me somewhere. It doesn't change much. Obviously we are not in the race and can't show the pace we have."
Verstappen said: "I think mainly Sebastian started squeezing me. Maybe he did not see Kimi on the left but that is not an excuse. He shouldn't take those risks.
"Lewis is leading the race and the three of us are out. I don't think it was a racing incident. Three cars were taken out and I was in the middle not doing anything wrong. We will see what happens."
Raikkonen said: "I don't know, there are always different views and I could not do anything to avoid it."
The race takes place at night under floodlights...
Floodlights which need to be extremely bright
A let down for Red Bull
The result will be a disappointment for Red Bull, with Ricciardo having said before the race that he was confident of winning.
Instead, he found that whatever he threw at Hamilton, the Mercedes driver was more than able to answer and he had to settle for second.
Mercedes benefited doubly from the chaos at the start - Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas, who struggled for pace all weekend, finished third, strengthening the team's hold on the constructors' championship.
There was some succour for Red Bull, as their junior driver Carlos Sainz drove an excellent race to take fourth for Toro Rosso after being ninth on the first lap, moving ahead of Force India's Sergio Perez, Renault's Jolyon Palmer, McLaren's Stoffel Vandoorne and Force India's Esteban Ocon, who were all ahead of him on the first lap.
Singapore slick: that's 60 career wins for Hamilton now
Sainz did benefit, however, from the retirement of Renault's Nico Hulkenberg, who was running fourth when he hit reliability trouble on lap 38.
Sainz's team-mate Daniil Kvyat was the cause of the second safety car when he crashed on lap 11 at Turn Seven, Sauber's Marcus Ericsson triggering the third when he spun out of Turn 12 and ended up facing the wrong way on the narrow Anderson Bridge.
Perez took fifth, Palmer enjoyed the best result of his F1 career in sixth and Vandoorne was seventh.
Driver of the day
There's only one winner. The reasons for Mercedes' turnaround from Saturday to Sunday remain unclear, even to the team, but Lewis Hamilton was at his magnificent best, totally in control of a race in which he was expected to struggle. It was one of his greatest wins. An honourable mention, too, for Carlos Sainz, who was superb in taking fourth for Toro Rosso.
What happens next?
There's a two-week break before another brutally hot race in Malaysia, on a very different circuit. On paper, Sepang looks like a Mercedes track and Hamilton will go into the weekend as favourite and looking for a fourth win in a row. Weather is often a factor there, too.
How does Jack Nicholls prepare for the Singapore GP?
What they said
Race-winner Hamilton: "I want to congratulate my team, they did a fantastic job. We struggled yesterday and we had no idea what would happen today. We were fortunate with what happened with the Ferraris at the beginning but I could not be happier.
"I capitalised on the incident. Who would know what would happen? Daniel put up a really good fight today. I hoped I would get to race Sebastian at the beginning. Of course it is better the way it is."
Ricciardo: "We didn't have the Friday pace, little disappointed to miss out on a win but I am still grateful with another podium.
"I watched the chaos unfold in front of me. It was probably good that I had a bad start. It looked like three tried to go into one. I don't know whose fault it was."
Bottas: "The car was working better than expected and I was just waiting for opportunities. I struggled in the wet but in the dry it was pretty good. There are still plenty of races to come and plenty of opportunities. Sebastian Vettel is my next target."
Swami
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Singapore
Lewis Hamilton drove a masterful race to win the Singapore Grand Prix and take a stranglehold on the title as rival Sebastian Vettel crashed out.
Hamilton, who started fifth after struggling in qualifying, was leading by the first corner after Vettel collided with Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen and Red Bull's Max Verstappen at the start.
It could be a defining moment in the championship. Vettel was expected to re-take the lead at a track on which Ferrari had an advantage over Mercedes. Instead, Hamilton heads into the final six races of the season with a 28-point advantage.
Hamilton did so after one of his most impressive drives. Mercedes went into the race thinking about damage limitation, with team boss Toto Wolff talking about the best possible result being to limit the loss of points to Vettel.
It was the first time Ferrari have retired both cars on the first lap, ever
But the Briton managed to avoid the chaos on the run to the first corner and slotted into the lead ahead of Daniel Ricciardo.
The Australian would have been expected to challenge Hamilton, Red Bull having had a clear pace advantage over Mercedes all weekend.
But Hamilton began reeling off fastest laps, and he remained serene through a madcap race that started wet, was dry for almost half its distance, featured three safety cars as a result of a series of incidents and ran to only 58 of its scheduled 61 laps because of the two-hour time limit.
A crucial misjudgement?
The first safety car came almost immediately. Despite heavy rain falling and a wet track, the race started competitively rather than behind a safety car.
Verstappen, starting second, made a better start than Vettel did from pole, but both were out-done by Raikkonen, who moved to the inside and was soon edging ahead of the Red Bull.
Not knowing his team-mate was there, Vettel veered aggressively across the track to defend from Verstappen, leaving the Dutchman nowhere to go.
Verstappen tried to edge left to avoid Vettel, but he and Raikkonen touched, the Finn spun and collected his team-mate.
Fernando Alonso goes flying - an innocent victim in the first-corner madness
Raikkonen slid sideways down the track and hit Verstappen broadside at the first corner, the two careering into Fernando Alonso's McLaren, which was briefly up to third place behind Hamilton and Ricciardo as he took his usual outside line at the first corner.
Alonso's car was launched, and spun in mid-air, damaging his floor and side-pod and leading to his retirement after a few slow laps.
Vettel, who was in scintillating form in taking pole on Saturday, tried to continue, but his car was badly damaged, its front wing missing and fluid leaking from the rear.
This caught him out as he accelerated out of Turn Three, and he spun into the wall after losing grip on his car's own fluids at Turn Four. He was told to retire before getting halfway around the first lap.
Reaction to the incident
All three men were called to the stewards to explain the incident but officials decided that "no driver was wholly or predominantly to blame" and decided to take no further action.
Vettel said: "I didn't see that much. I saw Max and then the next thing I see is Max and Kimi hitting me somewhere. It doesn't change much. Obviously we are not in the race and can't show the pace we have."
Verstappen said: "I think mainly Sebastian started squeezing me. Maybe he did not see Kimi on the left but that is not an excuse. He shouldn't take those risks.
"Lewis is leading the race and the three of us are out. I don't think it was a racing incident. Three cars were taken out and I was in the middle not doing anything wrong. We will see what happens."
Raikkonen said: "I don't know, there are always different views and I could not do anything to avoid it."
The race takes place at night under floodlights...
Floodlights which need to be extremely bright
A let down for Red Bull
The result will be a disappointment for Red Bull, with Ricciardo having said before the race that he was confident of winning.
Instead, he found that whatever he threw at Hamilton, the Mercedes driver was more than able to answer and he had to settle for second.
Mercedes benefited doubly from the chaos at the start - Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas, who struggled for pace all weekend, finished third, strengthening the team's hold on the constructors' championship.
There was some succour for Red Bull, as their junior driver Carlos Sainz drove an excellent race to take fourth for Toro Rosso after being ninth on the first lap, moving ahead of Force India's Sergio Perez, Renault's Jolyon Palmer, McLaren's Stoffel Vandoorne and Force India's Esteban Ocon, who were all ahead of him on the first lap.
Singapore slick: that's 60 career wins for Hamilton now
Sainz did benefit, however, from the retirement of Renault's Nico Hulkenberg, who was running fourth when he hit reliability trouble on lap 38.
Sainz's team-mate Daniil Kvyat was the cause of the second safety car when he crashed on lap 11 at Turn Seven, Sauber's Marcus Ericsson triggering the third when he spun out of Turn 12 and ended up facing the wrong way on the narrow Anderson Bridge.
Perez took fifth, Palmer enjoyed the best result of his F1 career in sixth and Vandoorne was seventh.
Driver of the day
There's only one winner. The reasons for Mercedes' turnaround from Saturday to Sunday remain unclear, even to the team, but Lewis Hamilton was at his magnificent best, totally in control of a race in which he was expected to struggle. It was one of his greatest wins. An honourable mention, too, for Carlos Sainz, who was superb in taking fourth for Toro Rosso.
What happens next?
There's a two-week break before another brutally hot race in Malaysia, on a very different circuit. On paper, Sepang looks like a Mercedes track and Hamilton will go into the weekend as favourite and looking for a fourth win in a row. Weather is often a factor there, too.
How does Jack Nicholls prepare for the Singapore GP?
What they said
Race-winner Hamilton: "I want to congratulate my team, they did a fantastic job. We struggled yesterday and we had no idea what would happen today. We were fortunate with what happened with the Ferraris at the beginning but I could not be happier.
"I capitalised on the incident. Who would know what would happen? Daniel put up a really good fight today. I hoped I would get to race Sebastian at the beginning. Of course it is better the way it is."
Ricciardo: "We didn't have the Friday pace, little disappointed to miss out on a win but I am still grateful with another podium.
"I watched the chaos unfold in front of me. It was probably good that I had a bad start. It looked like three tried to go into one. I don't know whose fault it was."
Bottas: "The car was working better than expected and I was just waiting for opportunities. I struggled in the wet but in the dry it was pretty good. There are still plenty of races to come and plenty of opportunities. Sebastian Vettel is my next target."
Swami