Oscar Piastri prepared for key sacrifice after disrupted Singapore practice

Oscar Piastri says he is prepared to head into the Singapore Grand Prix lacking crucial race-based knowledge after a disrupted Friday practice.

Usually, in the second free practice session, after teams complete their qualifying simulation runs, they conduct high-fuel running to simulate race conditions - but this was not possible during FP2 at Marina Bay. 

This was because George Russell crashed to bring out the first of two red flags just before the changeover to qualifying simulations, with Liam Lawson then bringing out the second suspension minutes after the restart.

Once the session finally resumed for good, it meant there was only time for drivers to conduct their qualifying simulations, with Piastri ending fastest from Isack Hadjar and Max Verstappen. 

Given FP3 takes place in the same unrepresentative conditions as FP1, there will be no further chance to obtain the crucial race-pace data prior to the actual race, a sacrifice Piastri is prepared to make as long as the qualifying data was secure, given the difficulty in overtaking in Singapore as he looks to extend his 25 point lead at the top of the drivers' standings.

"I found my feet on the medium at the end, and it felt good, so obviously there was not much representative race running, but I learned a lot, so it's been a good day," Piastri explained.

"Qualifying is a massive part of the weekend, and it's a massive part everywhere, but especially here; it is one of the most important.

"So I'd rather qualify further up and deal with the unknown of the race, rather than qualify further back, but know exactly what is going to happen in the race, because it is really going to help you."