Do you sip the tea in Singapore?

The Singapore Grand Prix is known for its heat and stifling humidity, causing drivers to lose significant weight by sweating as they drive. Drivers have drinks tubes built into their helmets which pump fluids from a bag in the cockpit, but in Singapore those drinks can reach the temperature of hot tea.

"Hydrate well," was runaway standings leader Max Verstappen's advice to Liam Lawson on Thursday as the New Zealander from AlphaTauri prepares to race in Singapore for the first time. "It's just quite uncomfortable driving. You always feel very warm and you have to get used to the sweating. It can't really go anywhere. It's just in your suit, so you have to just get comfortable with that."

Aston Martin's Lance Stroll said he gets "pretty thirsty" toward the end of the race, "so, yeah, I go for the tea."

Not all drivers do. Heading into his seventh career race in Singapore, Kevin Magnussen of Haas says too much tea means a stomach ache.

"It gets very hot very quickly. So you get the first, I don´t know, 15, 20 minutes of the race where you can drink cold water and then it gets almost like tea, too hot to drink, so I don´t tend to drink too much," he said.

"It´s actually hard to swallow liquids when you´re driving and being thrown around in the car. You need to be careful not to drink too much. It can get tough on your stomach," the Dane revealed.

Singapore isn't always the hottest or most humid F1 track - Miami and Bahrain each have a claim - but it's on a twisty layout through the city streets. That means less time at high speed when air flows fast over the drivers and cools them, George Russell of Mercedes said. The track has a slightly shorter layout this year which replaces four corners with a straight section. That could make drivers a little more comfortable.

American driver Logan Sargeant, racing in Singapore for the first time, doesn't like drinking any fluids behind the wheel. "I don't find it easy to do," he said.

Just like his car has to make it to the end of the race without any extra fuel, Sargeant fills up before the start and hopes that's enough.

Ferrari set the pace in both practice sessions Friday as there were signs that Red Bull might be beatable in Singapore.

Charles Leclerc was fastest in the first session, beating teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. by 0.078s and Verstappen in third by 0.126s.

In the second, Sainz was 0.018s faster than Leclerc and Russell was third, 0.235s off the pace. Verstappen was eighth, one place behind his teammate Sergio Perez. Both complained of issues with the car's rear grip and were around seven-tenths of a second off Sainz. Between them, the two Red Bull drivers have won every race this season. Qualifying is Saturday.

"We never really got the car together today," Verstappen said. "I struggled with the balance especially, so there are quite a few things to work on with the team tonight. I will of course try to improve tomorrow but there's quite a gap, the Ferraris are looking fast."

Verstappen had to swerve to avoid a lizard walking across the track mid-way through the first session. The yellow flag was shown to tell drivers to watch out for the animal. Another lizard appeared near the end.

Verstappen is aiming to extend his record run with an 11th consecutive victory on Sunday in Singapore and Red Bull could secure the constructors' championship this weekend. (The Associated Press)