Lewis Hamilton moved to the top of the timesheets in second practice for the Singapore Grand Prix, as he edged out Max Verstappen to set the pace around the Marina Bay circuit.
The championship leader, who is searching for his third consecutive win in Singapore, lapped the track in a 1:38.773, one of only two drivers to dip under the 1:39s mark.
Following two power circuits where Mercedes found themselves on the back foot, it is expected to reassert its 2019 dominance given the circuit’s majority of slow-speed corners.
Mercedes topped the times after the first timed runs in the session, albeit on a faster tyre than its rivals, with Hamilton fastest from team-mate Valtteri Bottas.
Red Bull has asserted itself as the Brackley-based outfit’s main threat, confirming its pace with the fastest lap in FP1.
Despite a small hiccup with Alex Albon breaking his front wing after running straight on at Turn 10, the team looks in good shape on a track it has won at on three occasions.
As drivers ramped up the tempo with the qualifying simulations, Verstappen carried over his performance from the afternoon session to head the field, only for Hamilton to go just under two-tenths quicker.
Hamilton would not be budged from the top spot by the end of FP2, closing out the session fastest from Verstappen with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel a further six-tenths adrift in third.
Singapore’s tight and twisty nature is likely to expose the lack of downforce Ferrari has suffered from this season, with the team cautious approaching the weekend regarding expectations.
Bottas put aside his crash in first practice to wind up fourth fastest. The Finn lost the rear of the W10 at Turn 19, hitting the barrier violently that caused substantial damage to the car.
Albon too recovered from his earlier accident to finish the session in fifth, with back-to-back race winner Charles Leclerc rounding out the top six.
Carlos Sainz was best of the rest behind the top three teams, 1.3 seconds off Hamilton’s benchmark lap time, despite McLaren’s fears Singapore would not suit its cars potential.
Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg put himself into the top 10 despite having no clarity over his Formula 1 future, just ahead of Sainz’s team-mate Lando Norris.
The top 10 runners was completed by Pierre Gasly, pipping Toro Rosso team-mate Daniil Kvyat by just under a tenth of a second.
