Track: Marina Bay Street Circuit
Number of Laps: 61
Circuit Length: 3.1 miles (5.1km)
Race Length: 191.9 miles (308.8km)
Start Time: 13:00 BST
Fastest Lap: 1:42.841 (Sebastian Vettel, Infiniti Red Bull Racing Renault, 2013)
Fastest Race Lap: 1:48.574 (Sebastian Vettel, Infiniti Red Bull Racing Renault, 2013)
2014 Pole Position: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG Petronas, 1:45.681, Supersoft Tyres
2014 Race Winner: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG Petronas
Tyre Compounds: Supersoft, Soft, Intermediate, Wet
First F1 Grand Prix: 2008
Most Wins: Sebastian Vettel (3), Red Bull (3)
Coming into this weekend’s race, Nico Rosberg has said that he has “Nothing to lose” in the championship following his retirement in Italy two weeks ago. He now trails teammate Lewis Hamilton by 53 points, a huge gap to close up in just seven races.
It remains to be seen whether Nico begins using the new Mercedes engine this weekend, or whether the water leak discovered on the Saturday at Monza will reoccur – perhaps on Lewis Hamilton’s car.
Whilst they will arrive at the track on time, Lotus may not be able to take part in the weekend. Their ongoing legal wranglings with HMRC over unpaid tax are set to continue, with the court date set for Friday. Should HMRC win the case, there is a possibility that the team will be placed into administration – the third team in two seasons to do so.
One team to watch will be Force India. The final parts of their B-Spec car are due to arrive at this race. The upgrades brought so far have given the team a huge boost in performance, but so far Nico Hulkenberg has struggled to take advantage of them – retiring with a turbo problem in Belgium and suffering with handling issues throughout the Italian GP.
Despite this, Force India managed to regain fifth place in the constructors’ championship from Lotus. The team’s priority is to solidate fifth ahead of 2016, and two skilled drivers in Hulkenberg and Perez – coupled with a strong car – will almost certainly allow them to do so.
Perhaps the biggest question mark of the weekend will be over the track itself. Pollution levels in certain parts of Asia – including Singapore – have hit extremely high, unhealthy levels due to the man-made forest fires in Indonesia.
This has raised concerns over air quality and visibility for the Grand Prix, but race organisers are adamant that there are contingency plans in place.
As with most street circuits, the safety car makes regular appearances. The Marina Bay Street Circuit is the only track on the calendar to have had a safety car in every season, tightening the field and, occasionally, adding controversy to a season.
The slower pace also adds to the already long race time, which has caused 2 of the last 3 races to run to the 2 hour time limit. In the high temperatures – even at night – the marathon length can make the Singapore Grand Prix one of the most exhausting on the calendar.
Let’s hope it’s one of the most exciting.
