Carlos Sainz ensured Ferrari completed a Practice sweep by topping FP3 at the Singapore Grand Prix.
As the sun set at Marina Bay, on track, a highly competitive session saw Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes all have stints at the top of the timesheet.
But in the final flying laps before qualifying, it was the Spaniard that put the Scuderia on top, just ahead of George Russell in second.
Early on, it was Russell who led a Mercedes one-two after the opening half an hour as he and Lewis Hamilton were the only frontrunners to run the soft tyres.
First runs of FP3. ☑️ George fastest as we head towards the half-way mark. ?#ShotOnSnapdragon | @Snapdragon pic.twitter.com/PNmNhF1ZRb
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) September 16, 2023
Sainz was third on the mediums with Verstappen fourth as one Red Bull showed improvement despite some upshift problems.
In contrast, teammate Sergio Perez was only 12th, continuing to complain of the rear-end instability that was the main issue from Friday.
All drivers switched to the red-striped rubber for the second runs, completing a flurry of flying laps as the soft tyres showed good durability.
Sainz would go fastest with his first timed lap, posting the best time of the weekend on a 1m32.065s.
Russell improved in the closing minutes to claim second, just 0.069s behind the Ferrari driver and demoting Lando Norris to third in the upgraded McLaren.
Working in the Singapore shadows. ?#SingaporeGP ?? #StealthMode pic.twitter.com/f07Gu60Lme
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) September 16, 2023
Verstappen continued to have upshift issues but would finish fourth, three-tenths off the pace.
Charles Leclerc was fifth despite traffic and had to abandon a faster final effort after riding the exit kerb at Turn 7.
Hamilton followed in sixth, ahead of Oscar Piastri and Perez in eighth as Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren filled the top eight places.
Nico Hulkenberg took ninth for Haas and Yuki Tsunoda rounded out the top 10 in his AlphaTauri.
Kevin Magnussen sat P11 with Esteban Ocon the lead Alpine in 12th. The Aston Martin pair of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were 13th and 14th, ahead of Pierre Gasly in 15th.
Liam Lawson had a spin at Turn 2 en route to 16th, Alex Albon was 17th as he returned to the track after power unit problems on Friday.
The two Alfa Romeos were 18th and 19th with Logan Sargeant slowest in the second Williams.
Sainz keeps Ferrari on top as four teams fill the top four places in final practice! #F1 #Formula1 #SingaporeGP pic.twitter.com/fQZvlOI91T
— InsideRacing.com (@INSIDERACINGcom) September 16, 2023
