Max fastest in exciting third free practice in Singapore

Published on 04 October 2025 by Florence Cobben

Max Verstappen has finished the third free practice of the Singapore Grand Prix in fastest. The Oracle Red Bull Racing-driver set a 1:30.248 time, making him seventeen-thousandths of a second faster than Oscar Piastri’s McLaren in P2. George Russell in the Mercedes was 0.049 seconds slower than Max and finished in P3. All drivers within the top five finished within a second from one another.

With an outside temperature of 31 degrees Celsius, the third and last free practice commences at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore. It is the last session that will be driven in daylight this weekend. Qualifying and the race will take place after sundown, under artificial lighting.

When the session is a quarter of an hour underway, Liam Lawson crashes into turn seven and the red flag is waved. The Kiwi lost control of his Racing Bull going over the curbstones and crashed hard into the guard rails. The right side of his car is heavily damaged, but Lawson hops out of the car uninjured. Max was last out of the pit of all the drivers, but due to Lawson’s crash had to return without completing a fast lap. At the moment, Lando tops the timesheets, with Carlos Sainz in P2 and Oliver Bearman in P3.

After a short 10-minute interlude, the track is cleared for further practice. Max heads out on a set of medium tyres. The four-time world champion sets a 1:31.526 time in his first flying lap, putting him in fourth. Max keeps circulating the track, and later improves his time to 1:31.358.

After a short stay in the pits, Max has dropped to P7. With just a quarter of an hour on the clock he returns to the track on a set of soft tyres. On the new rubbers, Max soars to the top of the sheets with a 1:30.148 time. George Russell and Lando Norris follow behind in P2 and P3. After running his qualifying sim, Max goes back to the pits.

In the closing phases of the session, Max heads out again to attempt a last qualifying run, but doesn’t manage to improve on his time. Piastri sets a time close to Max, only 0.017 seconds behind him. Russell ends up in P3, with Kimi Antonelli and Lando Norris both setting the same time, 0.089 seconds behind Verstappen. Carlos Sainz leads the ‘best of the rest’ in P6.

At 15 o’clock CEST, qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix starts.

Contest GP Singapore: win a by Max Verstappen signed Red Bull Racing cap!