Hamilton ready for physical challenge
Hamilton topped the timesheet in the first session, ahead of championship rival, Felipe Massa of Ferrari, clocking a time of one minute 45.518 seconds. The 23-year-old Englishman had looked set to do the same in second practice after leading for the majority of the session.
However, Renault driver and former team-mate Fernando Alonso produced a superb last-ditch lap time of 1:45.654secs to edge Hamilton by just 0.098secs.
And Stevenage-born Hamilton admitted he found the Marina Bay circuit twice as challenging as Monaco.
“It is a very physical circuit, more than I expected actually,” he said. “You need to put in a lot of work into the car to get a good lap.
“On my first proper run I managed to find a half-decent line. I was able to get more comfortable with the car. On first impressions there seems to be quite a lot of grip on the track so you can brake quite late in the slower corners.
“I would say it requires double the energy of Monaco over a single lap. One lap around here is like two laps around Monaco.
“Through certain corners, there were lots of bottoming and when you hit a bump, it would throw the car about quite a bit. But it is an amazing venue.”
Last night was the first chance for drivers and spectators alike to experience Formula One at night. Concerns had been raised over visibility, especially as to how it would be affected should it rain.
After a downpour in the morning, the weather improved as the day progressed and when the first cars took to the circuit this evening it was dry but for a small patch of water at the first corner.
And Hamilton admitted he had no issues with racing in the dark. “The lights were not an issue for me,” he added.
Massa, who trails Hamilton in the driver standings by a single point with four races remaining, felt practice was positive despite failing to set the fastest time in either sessions.
And the Brazilian insisted it was too early to say how the weekend will shape up.
“It was a positive day,” said the 27-year-old. “This is only the start of the weekend and there is still a lot of work to do but we have got off on the right foot. The car is handling well, especially on the harder tyres, but we know the conditions will improve so it is too early to draw conclusions.
“I think we will be competitive, whether we will be more or less than our rivals I cannot yet say.”
Jenson Button was pleased with performance in the second session after a time of 1:46.901 ensured he finished eighth quickest, while Red Bull’s David Coulthard finished 15th in both sessions
“We didn’t get the best out of the car on my final run with the new tyres due to too much understeer but it was still nice to end up eighth quickest,” said Button.
The circuit claimed its first casualty in the opening session of free practice when Red Bull’s Mark Webber ploughed into a barrier at Turn 18 on just his fourth lap.
Honda’s Rubens Barrichello also crashed out in P1 when he spun off attempting to come round the final turn.
Jarno Trulli was fined £8,000 for driving in the wrong direction on the track after a spin in first practice. The Toyota driver decided to drive back up the circuit in order to enter the pits.
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