Form guide: Red Bull dominance reaches new level

Red Bull's superiority around Singapore looks overwhelming. This is apparent whether standing trackside and seeing how Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber have got access to different parts of the circuit to other cars, or when looking at the long-run times of both cars. Away from the tricky balancing act of downforce and drag of the last two circuits, and back to a place that is all about downforce, Red Bull's margin of superiority has increased accordingly.

Mark Webber did a 14-lap run on the supposedly delicate super-soft option tyre during which his average was 0.7 seconds faster than the next-fastest non-Red Bull - the Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen - and was as fast at the end of it as at the beginning. Vettel's average time on the prime tyre was faster than anyone other than Webber averaged on the option.

The difference in downforce levels between Red Bull and the rest is suggested by the end of straight speeds just before Turn 7. There is an inverse relationship between the speed of the cars over the lap and their speed at this point: Red Bull was a full 13km/h slower than the fastest cars through the trap - but whereas trading end of straight speed for downforce was a problem at Monza, at Marina Bay, with its 23 corners, it was simply an indication of Red Bull's superiority. Everyone is carrying as much downforce as possible here - and that 13km/h deficit ironically indicates a massive level of superiority around this track.

Mercedes was far from Red Bull's pace © XPB

In low-fuel peak pace Vettel was fastest by 0.6s from team-mate Webber, though the latter lost a few tenths glancing the wall on his lap. Of more significance was Vettel's one-second margin over the third fastest car, the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg.

Mercedes looks to have better one-lap pace than Lotus but even the acrobatic Lewis Hamilton may be hard pressed to prevent a Red Bull front row lock-out. On race pace the Mercs appear to be on a similar level to Lotus.

Ferrari is struggling with rear end grip, no matter whether fitted with its new front wing or old and even with the benefit of a new diffuser. Fernando Alonso, 1.4s off the peak pace was in realistic frame of mind afterwards.

"We are not competitive," he said. "There is nothing to hide. We have to be realistic. We are sixth and 15th and this is not the same result that we would like.

"We have more or less come back to the situation on the high-downforce circuits [before Spa and Monza]. Mercedes are strong, Red Bull and we have Lotus and McLaren in front of us. We will fight.

"Last year we were not performing well here in Singapore and we finished on the podium so we will push."

Ferrari struggled during both sessions © XPB

As usual, the Lotuses do not appear to have great one-lap pace. Both Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean stayed with the standard wheelbase car throughout, with the latter missing a big chunk of the afternoon session to a power steering problem. His time was within a tenth of Rosberg's but it was in the long runs that the car looked its most convincing - though still nowhere near Red Bull.

The bumps of the Singapore street track are far from ideal for a McLaren that has always had a poor ride quality, and the resultant aerodynamic inconsistency. Jenson Button did a best lap within a tenth or so of Alonso but both MP4-28s were prone to front wheel locking and understeer.

The super-soft tyre has proved to be far more durable than was expected and will be the favoured race tyre. Some cars, notably the Ferrari, had trouble making the medium last the necessary stint length for a good strategy.

Thermal degradation comes quick if your car has a traction problem here, with its succession of low gear acceleration zones.

Thermal image cameras facing the rear tyres of Felipe Massa's Ferrari showed clearly how its rears were running very hot and not cooling back to normal levels before the next corner.

The strategy choice looks likely to be between two and three stop with the former more heavily favoured. But it won't really matter which strategy Red Bull runs. Unless, of course, the gearbox that played up at Monza - and which is having its last race here - should give trouble.