F1 – Singapore GP: circuit, times, results, challenges

At the end of the European tour concluded in Monza, the Formula 1 world championship heads east for the Singapore Grand Prix, contested at night.

Circuit

In 2008, the Singapore circuit entered the Formula 1 calendar by serving as the setting for the very first night race in the history of the discipline. In its original configuration, it has a length of 5.067 km, increased to 5.073 km in the following edition. In 2013, the removal of the chicane at turn 10 reduced it to 5.065 km, then 5.063 km in 2018 after the modification of turns 11 to 13. Very winding, the Sigapourian route boasts no less than 23 turns. It has the particularity of turning counterclockwise, with 14 left turns and 9 right turns.

Chronos

Measuring 5.063 km in its current configuration, the Marina Bay route recorded its best timekeeping references during the 2018 edition. On Saturday, Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) took pole position with a time of 1:36.015, while the next day, Kevin Magnussen (Haas) set the fastest lap in the race in 1:41.905. Last year, the times were well below these benchmarks, due to wet conditions throughout the weekend. While Charles Leclerc dominated qualifying in 1:49.412, George Russell set the best lap in the race in 1:46.458.

Prize list

As surprising as it may seem, Max Verstappen has never won the Singapore Grand Prix. From 2016 to 2019, he came up against the racing domination of the Mercedes and Ferrari teams. After the cancellation of the 2020 and 2021 editions, the Dutchman had a new opportunity to shine in the Singapore night, in 2022, but it was his teammate Sergio Pérez who attracted the spotlight by winning in front of the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. This was Red Bull’s first ever victory at Marina Bay. Apart from Sergio Pérez, four other drivers took the first step on the podium in Singapore. The success record is held by Sebastian Vettel (5), ahead of Lewis Hamilton (4), Fernando Alonso (2) and Nico Rosberg (1).

Challenges

During the last event to date, on September 3 at Monza, Max Verstappen gave himself a 10th consecutive victory, an unheard of. The previous record, 9 successes in a row, dated from the 2013 season at the initiative of Sebastian Vettel. Obviously, the challenge of the Singapore Grand Prix is ​​to see if the Dutchman will be able to take this record to 11. To do this, he will need to score a first victory in Singapore. His main rival should be his teammate Sergio Pérez, defending champion in the Marina Bay and winner of the two races that Max Verstappen did not win this year. The Red Bull team, still undefeated in racing in 2023, should once again be pitted against Ferrari and Mercedes, its primary rivals on most rounds this season. Note that the Austrian team could win the constructors’ title from the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday September 17, provided it scores 43 points more than Mercedes.

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