F1 Daily: Russell Tops Lone Singapore Practice, McLaren's Power Unit Fix, and the Haze Problem

The 2026 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix is underway! 

It's a Sprint weekend, which means teams only have one practice session to understand their car and get their setup right. True enough, some teams are focused on addressing their previous performance and reliability issues.

Mercedes driver George Russell emerged with the fastest time in the only practice session of the 2026 Singapore GP. Russell set a time of 1:32.274, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc trailing in second place by 0.198 seconds. Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, and Oscar Piastri rounded up the Top Five, in order.

However, Russell has exceeded his allocation for power unit components, which hands him a massive grid penalty.

Max Verstappen, who won last weekend in Malaysia and is looking for his first win in Marina Bay, only settled for the sixth-fastest time. Current championship leader Kimi Antonelli finished seventh.

McLaren driver and reigning World Champion Lando Norris encountered fuel system issues that affected his race in Sepang. As a response, the team is focused on fixing the auxiliary components related to Norris's power unit. 

So far, the results of the fix look good. The British driver set the third-fastest time in practice, finishing just 0.273 behind the fastest lap of George Russell.

Norris has scored only two points in the last two races. He's itching to do better and score more points this weekend.

McLaren's Oscar Piastri is sporting a striking special-edition helmet that celebrates local Peranakan culture. The design is a collaboration with Android, featuring hand-beaded work by Singaporean Peranakan artist Angeline Kong. 

Piastri's helmet takes on a turquoise color, which is a shade associated with joy and happiness. Piastri's name is also found in gold script near the chin. 

The Australian driver finished P4 in Singapore last year, and he's surely aiming for more this weekend.

The tricky weather conditions in Singapore have an additional challenge for F1 drivers and teams: navigating through significant haze. Thick smoke from Indonesia's forest fires has blanketed the region for weeks. 

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali assured everyone that the haze poses no risk to the race. But the FIA has confirmed that they're preparing contingency measures. As of now, there are no plans to cancel or modify any activity on the track.