Alonso Tops First Practice at Singapore Grand Prix
F1 Singapore
3-5 October features the main event starting at 1pm BST on Sunday.
Live updates streamed on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and mobile app.
Opening Round Summary
The team's Fernando Alonso topped the times beating Scuderia star and reigning champion in FP1 at the Singapore Grand Prix.
The British team's drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris wrapped up the practice in mid-table positions.
Piastri was over two tenths speedier than Norris.
Alonso was a tenth and a half ahead of Leclerc and a clear gap faster than the Red Bull star.
The Italian squad's Lewis Hamilton was fourth fastest.
Team Strategies
Few anticipate that Aston Martin will be contenders for the top spot.
Nonetheless, the squad are confident of a strong showing on a technical venue that is ideally suited to their chassis, which performs better when plenty of aerodynamic grip are needed.
Veteran racer Fernando is also famous as a Singapore specialist, and usually excels on the Marina Bay street track.
Yet he was almost certainly using less fuel or a increased power than his opponents, or a combination, to set such a quick time.
Practice Conditions
Fellow driver Lance Stroll was almost two seconds slower in the lower order.
Stroll had difficulties with his seat during the initial runs and was also testing test items.
FP1 in Marina Bay is not representative of later performance for qualifying and race as it is held in daylight in late afternoon, while grid-deciding session and the race are staged at night.
Points Situation
The McLaren driver is ahead of his teammate by a solid margin with the final stretch to go as they approach the Grand Prix in the Lion City.
The Woking-based team are poised to wrap up the manufacturers' crown on the weekend.
The only way they can miss out in this race is if the Silver Arrows beat them by thirty-one or Ferrari manage it by thirty-five.
Competitor Outlook
The energy drink brand's team are hopeful of a good performance after recent successes in the previous rounds preceding this Grand Prix.
The team breathed a sigh when light rain coming down ahead of FP1 stopped by the point the vehicles took to the track on a circuit that had remained dry.
Senior figure Red Bull's advisor stated ahead of practice that they required a clear session to make a comprehensive start on understanding their set-up for the event.
