The Singapore GP got an unexpected guest during Free Practice 3, and no, it wasn’t a celebrity. A wild lizard took centre stage when it sprinted onto the Marina Bay Circuit, forcing marshals to issue a red flag, halting the session for several minutes.
The cheeky reptile caused a scene that had everyone from fans to drivers buzzing ahead of qualifying. Things took a dramatic turn when two-time world champion Fernando Alonso nearly had a scaly close call.
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As the speedy reptile made its way across the track, Alonso, in the midst of his practice laps, narrowly avoided a collision with the fearless lizard. The Spaniard was quick on the radio, exclaiming, “It’s in the middle of the track”.
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With the clock ticking down on the final practice session, marshals jumped into action. They chased the running lizard off the circuit, ensuring it didn’t make a return appearance – at least, not for qualifying. The whole scene left fans in the stands and viewers at home wondering if Singapore had just found its unofficial GP mascot.
"It thinks it's an Aston Martin" 😂
Plenty of fun out on track for this lizard in Singapore 🦎 pic.twitter.com/AnqKXZ9vnM
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) September 21, 2024
“It wouldn’t be Singapore without a lizard on track,” one wrote on Twitter – of course this isn’t the first time a reptile has made its way onto the track at Singapore. “It really isn’t the Singapore GP without a lizard on the loose.”
Max Verstappen qualifying in Singapore
2023 dumped out by Liam Lawson
2024 dumped out by Lizard awesome pic.twitter.com/tWbBUZQoZT
— F1 Jayy (@F1JayyUK) September 21, 2024
The incident caused a brief delay, but drivers were able to return to action once the track was declared safe. Red flags due to wildlife aren’t entirely uncommon in Formula 1, but this time, a lizard managed to steal the spotlight from the world’s best drivers just hours before they were set to battle it out for pole position.
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