GP Singapore: Times, standings, circuit info, weather

Singapore GP timetable

This season’s European tour is over and now it’s time for some Eastern races. To start with, Formula 1 travels to Singapore, where racing will take place in the dark on the streets of Marina Bay on Sunday. In the dark? Yes, it is already evening locally and that means that here in the Netherlands we are in front of the TV at fairly similar times as at the European races.

Championship standings

With his tenth victory in a row, Max Verstappen has not only made history in Italy, but also kept himself on track to become world champion in Japan later this month. Behind it we see that Sergio Pérez has also expanded his lead over Fernando Alonso slightly thanks to his nice second place, while Lewis Hamilton is still breathing down the Spaniard’s neck. Behind this, it remains extremely exciting to see who will finish in fifth place in this championship.

Is Red Bull about to become constructors’ champion again? Yes, that too is of course only a matter of a few races. What’s happening behind it is more exciting, because Ferrari has risen from fourth to third place in its home country of Italy. The Aston Martin team, which was the second team at the beginning of this year, is sinking further. Whether Ferrari can still finish second this year is highly questionable. Given the recent form of Mercedes and Ferrari, the Italians will undoubtedly still hope for that. Finally, the Williams team also deserves a big compliment: with 21 points, this year is already almost as successful as 2021 (when 23 points were achieved), with eight races to go.

Circuit

The Marina Bay Street Circuit is, as the name suggests, not a permanent circuit but a circuit that largely consists of public roads. Every year, Singapore’s port area is transformed into a place where Formula 1 drivers fly past the walls under the light of 1,600 spotlights. Sometimes they also crash into it, because it is a treacherous circuit at some points. However, the biggest challenge here may be the climate. The Singapore GP is considered by many drivers to be the toughest race of the year due to the combination of the tough circuit and the tropical heat.

Singapore was on the F1 calendar for the first time in 2008. Then the infamous ‘Crashgate’ took place here, where Renault fired its driver Nelson Piquet Jr. crashed on purpose to help the other driver, Fernando Alonso, win. The circuit has been overhauled several times since then and in its most recent layout is 4.928 km long. Slightly shorter than last year, because a straight section has now been created between turns 15 and 16. The drivers will encounter no fewer than three DRS zones this weekend. One on the long start/finish straight, one between turns 5 and 7 and one between turns 13 and 14. They will drive a total of 62 laps on Sunday. Whoever sets the fastest race lap will also be the fastest ever on this version of the circuit, because the layout has changed slightly.

Weather

As mentioned, it is always very warm in Singapore and the upcoming race weekend will be no different. The drivers have to expect temperatures of over 30 degrees and there is also a lot of moisture in the air. There may also be a shower to make things even more challenging.