The struggles of seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton have been a secret to no one. The 2022 F1 season is more than half completed, and the Mercedes driver is still searching for his first win of the season. However, it seems like things might finally return to track for Hamilton. He has aced the FP1 ahead of the qualifier in Singapore GP. While doing so, he defeated the almost certain champion, Max Verstappen.
Lewis Hamilton Secures P1 In First Practice At Singapore!
In the opening session of the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton set the speed for Mercedes. He narrowly edged out Max Verstappen, the current leader of the standings. To beat Verstappen, Hamilton put on an unexpected late display of speed. For most of FP1 at the Marina Bay Circuit, he maintained a tight hold on the top position on the leaderboard. A late performance from seven-time Formula One winner propelled Mercedes to the top before Mercedes was comfortably in the lead on medium and soft tires.
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In the final laps on soft tires, Lewis Hamilton unexpectedly discovered a substantial improvement in his Mercedes. For the first time this season, he turned in the fastest time during a practice session, with a 1:43.033. Max Verstappen finished second, ahead of Charles Leclerc of Ferrari. Hamilton passed Verstappen by a mere 0.09 seconds. And apparently, his effort was sufficient. And this is the first time in 2022 that he has taken over an F1 practice session.
The Dutchman finished a tenth of a second behind the Mercedes driver, while Leclerc was third, four tenths down. However, the Ferrari driver may still have a lot of space to grow after losing a large portion of the early half of the practice owing to a brake problem.
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Meanhile, Sergio Perez\’s second Red Bull was fourth fastest, following Charles Leclerc\’s Ferrari. Carlos Sainz secured himself a position in the top six. And George Russell of Mercedes scored the fifth-fastest time, one second behind teammate Lewis Hamilton. However, the first red flag of the weekend was raised when Lance Stroll and George Russell both collided with the barriers as they exited Turn 5. Lance Stroll was forced to stop on the racetrack following the massive accident. Russell, though, was lucky not to sustain any serious injuries. The seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth positions were held by Alpine\’s Esteban Ocon, Stroll, AlphaTauri\’s Pierre Gasly, and Fernando Alonso, respectively.
