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F1 Singapore

This weekend features the main event kicking off at 13:00 BST on Sunday.

Real-time commentary available on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sport.

Opening Round Summary

The team's Spanish veteran was fastest beating Scuderia star and Dutch ace in first practice at the street circuit event.

McLaren's championship contenders Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris finished the run in fifth and sixth.

Piastri was over two tenths speedier than his teammate.

Alonso was a slim margin leading of Leclerc and 0.276secs clear than Verstappen.

Ferrari's seven-time champion was P4.

Car Performance

It is not expected that the Silverstone-based team will be contenders for pole position.

Nonetheless, the outfit are confident of a improved performance on a low-speed track that is more suited to their chassis, which performs better when significant amounts of aerodynamic grip are required.

Veteran racer Alonso is also renowned as a Marina Bay expert, and typically performs well on the Marina Bay street track.

But he was likely running reduced weight or a higher engine mode than his competitors, or each, to set such a quick time.

Session Details

His team-mate Lance Stroll was almost two seconds behind in P18.

Stroll had difficulties with his seat during the initial runs and was also testing test items.

The first session in Marina Bay is not representative of conditions later in the weekend as it is conducted in daylight in late afternoon, while qualifying and the main event are held under floodlights.

Points Situation

Piastri has an advantage over Norris by a solid margin with seven races to go as they approach the Grand Prix in the Lion City.

The Woking-based team are in position to secure the manufacturers' crown on race day.

Single possibility they can fail to secure it in Singapore is if the Silver Arrows surpass them by over thirty or the Scuderia achieve that by a similar margin.

Competitor Outlook

The energy drink brand's team are optimistic of a good performance after recent successes in the previous rounds leading into this weekend.

It was a relief when drizzle occurring prior to running cleared by the time the vehicles went out on a surface that had remained dry.

Motorsport adviser Red Bull's advisor stated before the session that they needed a dry hour to begin properly on understanding their set-up for the Grand Prix.