The two 90-minute free practice sessions ahead of this weekend's 14th round of the 2017 Formula One season got underway on the 5.065-kilometer 23-turn track under hot and humid conditions, with Antonio Giovinazzi joining Haas F1 Team's regular drivers, Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen.
Giovinazzi, the third driver for Scuderia Ferrari, took the wheel of the Haas VF-17 in FP1 as Magnussen graciously relinquished his seat for Giovinazzi to gain some additional Formula One experience in the opening session. This was the third of seven FP1 sessions where Giovinazzi will drive for Haas F1 Team.
Giovinazzi ran a total of 27 laps, the best being a 1:46.782 on his 15th lap that put him 16th overall.
“First of all, thanks to Haas and Ferrari for this opportunity,” he said. “It was an important session for me. The last time I drove the car was the beginning of August, so to come back in the car and at a difficult track like Singapore – it was a difficult experience but I really enjoyed the track. It was amazing. I'm really happy. I did the best job for the team. We did all the laps we could do, so I'm really happy with the session. Of course, missing Monza was disappointing because it was in front of my fans, but in the end, I'm really happy to swap Monza with this track as I got to learn a new track and gain a new experience.”
Regular driver Romain Grosjean ran 20 laps in FP1 with a quick time of 1:46.456 on his 17th lap to place him 15th among the 20 drivers. Speeds picked up and lap times continued to drop in FP2 and the Frenchman knocked 1.528 seconds off his FP1 time with a 1:44.928 earned on his 13th lap. He ended the session 18th overall with 29 laps completed.
“It was a tough day,” he said. “Singapore is a challenge on its own – for the mechanics, the drivers and the cars – with all the heat and humidity. We've been struggling all day to get the best out of it. I think we've made some progress on the rear end of the car, but we still need to get the front end to work. That's something we've been struggling with at street circuits like Monaco, but we eventually found it in qualifying there. Not much feeling with the front end – I'm struggling to get the best out of it. I think tonight we're going to try a few things for tomorrow and hopefully get the right answer.”
Meanwhile Kevin Magnussen returned to his Haas VF-17 and wrapped FP2 as the 17th-quickest driver with a time of 1:44.417, the best mark recorded by Haas F1 Team Friday at Marina Bay.
“Obviously, the pace wasn't great. We need to work on that and see if we can find some more pace,” the Danish racer said. “Otherwise, it's going to be difficult for us this weekend. I think we have some stuff to work with, it's just whether it will be enough, but we'll see. It was good fun to drive here, but our main priority is to be competitive.”
Between the two practices, Haas F1 Team ran a total of 108 laps – 49 by Grosjean, 32 by Magnussen and 27 by Giovinazzi.
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