Raikkonen tops Friday practice at 2018 Singapore Grand Prix

Kimi Raikkonen at Formula One World Championship, Rd15, Singapore Grand Prix, Practice, Marina Bay Circuit, Singapore, Friday 14 September 2018.

The 2018 Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix once again lights up the streets of the Marina Bay Circuit. Friday’s Free Practice 2 in Singapore saw Kimi Raikkonen record the fastest time for the evening. Raikkonen may soon be leaving the Ferrari team but Friday night, he was still the quickest, posting a time of 1minute 38.699 seconds, just 0.011 seconds faster than Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton. Ferrari is seen to be the favorite in this weekend’s race due to its agility on the tight street cirucit.

After Raikkonen and Hamilton, the next fastest were the two Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo. Close behind was Renault’s Carlos Sainz, with Haas’ Romain Grosjean and McLaren’s Fernando Alonso breathing down his rear wing. Raikkonen’s teammate Sebastian Vettel clipped the wall on Turn 21 and ended up in ninth place.

Vettel said, “We lost some time, which is not ideal, but nevertheless I think I’ve got a good feel for the car and thankfully I’ve been here before so I know the track. Tomorrow I think it will be key to find the right balance and feel the car a little bit better than this evening and then we should be fine.”

This sets the stage for an exciting qualifying session on Saturday.

Off the track, the Singapore Grand Prix continued its tradition of world-class entertainment. The highlight act for Friday was King of Asian pop Jay Chou. Chou performed songs from his 14^th studio album, Jay Chou’s Bedtime Stories. Taiwanese superstar Chou shared the stage with Singaporean jazz vocalist Joanna Dong.