SINGAPORE: Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen set the fastest practice time for the Singapore Grand Prix on Friday but the Finn’s team-mate Sebastian Vettel suffered a frustrating start to the weekend in his bid to overhaul championship leader Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton opened a 30-point cushion over Vettel with a surprise win in Monza two weeks ago and while Ferrari are regarded as having a superior car, the Briton set the second-fastest time of the day just 0.011 seconds back in his Mercedes.

Vettel has been criticised for dropping points due to some poor tactical driving this season but there was little he could do looking on from the Ferrari garage after his car suffered a radiator fluid leak midway through the second practice session.

Raikkonen lapped the 5.063 km Marina Bay Street Circuit in 1:38.699 seconds, with Hamilton just behind as the rejuvenated Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo finished third and fourth respectively half a second further back.

Valtteri Bottas was fifth in the second Mercedes, less than a tenth of a second behind Ricciardo, with the Renault of Carlos Sainz sixth.

Earlier, Ricciardo was quickest in the first practice ahead of Verstappen, with Vettel in third ahead of Raikkonen.

In the first session, Hamilton had a scary moment when his front wheels locked and he momentarily veered off the track.

Also, Sauber driver Charles Leclerc, who is replacing Raikkonen at Ferrari next year, mangled his front right suspension after clipping the barriers.

The 20-year-old from Monaco misjudged his exit from the Anderson Bridge, clipped the wall hard at turn 13 and destroyed his right front wheel.

The Marina Bay track has 23 corners — more than any other on the current Formula One calendar — and is a severe test for both drivers and cars, with temperatures regularly topping 30 Celsius during the night race.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2018