SINGAPORE // Last year’s Singapore Grand Prix enjoyed one of the closest qualifying sessions of the season and a repeat looks to be on the horizon after Daniil Kvyat was quickest in second practice Friday night.
Mercedes-GP have dominated this season, helped by their powerful engines, but the twists and turns of the 5km Marina Bay Street Circuit, which has 23 corners, mean aerodynamic performance is just as important as straight-line speed.
The top eight were covered by 0.80 seconds, with championship leader Lewis Hamilton only fourth fastest, three spots ahead of his teammate and title rival Nico Rosberg.
Kvyat’s time of one minute, 46.142 seconds capped an impressive day for Red Bull Racing, with Daniel Ricciardo in third spot.
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Speculation continues on the Austrian team’s future due to uncertainty on whether they will remain with engine supplier Renault for 2016.
Ferrari maintained their impressive recent form; Kimi Raikkonen was second and Sebastian Vettel fifth, with the top eight completed by Force India’s Sergio Perez in sixth and McLaren’s Fernando Alonso in eighth.
Mercedes have taken the past 22 poles in F1 to be only two away from matching the record of 24 set by Williams in 1992-93, but Red Bull and Ferrari look to have strong pace, meaning Hamilton and Rosberg will have a fight on their hands to keep their streak going.
It was a disappointing day for American Alexander Rossi as he crashed in first practice, his first session since being announced as a race driver by Manor Marussia.
To cap a miserable time for the team, Rossi’s teammate Will Stevens also crashed, in the second practice session.
Final practice is on Saturday at 2pm UAE time with qualifying at 5pm. Sunday’s 61-lap race begins at 4pm.
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