Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time in opening practice for the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc finishing a respective second and third.

Marina Bay’s glittering street circuit returns to the F1 calendar after a two-season absence, with Max Verstappen on the verge of securing his second drivers’ championship – but he needs results for Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez to swing his way.

The session was red-flagged with 20 minutes remaining for Lance Stroll (P8) hitting the barriers with the left-hand side of his Aston Martin at Turn 5, before coming to a stop and jumping out in the Turn 7 run-off area.

Sergio Perez finished fourth in the other Red Bull, 0.806s off the pace, while George Russell rounded out the top five for Mercedes – leaving Carlos Sainz sixth as he struggled with the car’s balance.

Alpine’s Esteban Ocon finished seventh as Alpine ran new floors in Singapore, with Stroll eighth on mediums having missed the chance to set a lap on soft tyres after his Turn 5 crash.

Pierre Gasly took P9 for AlphaTauri to leave Fernando Alonso rounding out the top 10 in the other Alpine. The Spaniard was confined to the garage for the final 25 minutes with a suspected gearbox oil leak.

Sebastian Vettel finished 11th for Aston Martin, ahead of McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo and Valtteri Bottas in P13 for Alfa Romeo.