[Official] Singapore Grand Prix 2023: Grand Prix Weekend Thread - Round 16 of 23

[Born Racer]

As we enter the last third of the season, you could be forgiven for being surprised Max Verstappen has yet to wrap up the world championship. Having won all but two of the Grands Prix in 2023 (with Red Bull team-mate Sergio Pérez having taken the other two), the so-far double world champion looks more confident than ever in his ability and possibility to take victory each time out, approaching each event as a new one and a new opportunity to not only come home first, but dominate as much as possible.

In this ‘business end’ of the season, we also get to see a combination of classic circuits (Interlagos and Spa) sprinkled with some modern venues for the new world order of Formula 1. Before getting to the neon icon that is Las Vegas, we first have the razzmatazz of Singapore.

The Marina Bay Circuit put on Formula 1’s first ever night race in 2008. A 318,000 watt capacity is required to pump the circuit with artificial lighting and the definition of the different elements of the cars is fantastic as they shimmer under the floodlights, with sparks from the underside particularly prominent.

The Singapore Grand Prix generally goes on to become the longest race in the season, running to the 2-hour limit before the laps have been completed. The shortest race here was 2018's 1 hour 51 minutes.

On past form, the safety car is almost a certainty – it has appeared at least once in every Grand Prix held at this track, perhaps most memorably in the first ever Formula 1 race, when Renault’s Nelson Piquet agreed to crash in order to assist Fernando Alonso (who went on to controversially take the first victory) and in 2015, when during a safety car period, a spectator got through a gap and made it onto the track.

The shortest margin of victory here was 0.239 in 2010, with Alonso beating Sebastian Vettel, although in 2016, Daniel Ricciardo ran winner Nico Rosberg home close after a frantic battle near the end, with the margin 0.488 at the end. Vettel did manage to hold off Alonso by almost 33 seconds in his 2013 win, however.

Look out for the new circuit modifications too.


The history

The first Grand Prix in Singapore was in 1961, named the Orient Year Grand Prix. It formed part of a campaign called ‘Visit Singapore - The Orient Year’ to attract tourists to the region and it took place on a street track named the Thomson Road Grand Prix Circuit. Races were run for both cars and motorcycles, and Ian Barnwell won the former in an Aston Martin DB3S. This subsequently turned into the Malaysian Grand Prix until 1965, at which point Singapore gained independence and it became the Singapore Grand Prix the following year.

The event was run to Formula Libre rules and the circuit was known for being a dangerous one, with one of the corners named ‘The Hump’, a right-hander through which the cars left the ground, and featuring a section which became known as ‘Murder Mile, a corner nicknamed Devil’s Bend and a right-left-right-left sequence dubbed 'The Snakes'.

Singapore's Lee Han Seng took the spoils in the 1966 Grand Prix in a Lotus 22, in addition to claiming the Sports Car and GT race in a Lotus-Ford Twin Cam. Rodney Seow, also from the country, won the following year in a Merlyn-Ford, with Australia's Garrie Cooper sealing victory in 1968 in an Elfin-Ford, before Graeme Lawrence of New Zealand embarked on a hat-trick in a McLaren-Ford, Ferrari and Brabham-Ford. The 'Jolly Green Giant', Australian Max Stewart won the 1972 edition in a Mildren-Ford, while his compatriot Vern Schuppan was victorious in 1973 in a March-Hart.

In the opening race at Marina Bay in 2008, Felipe Massa's Ferrari led Hamilton's McLaren away from pole and pulled a gap. Fernando Alonso, who had qualified fifteenth, made an early stop on Lap 12 to change from the super-softs to the softs and rejoined at the tail of the field. A mere two laps later, team-mate Nelson Piquet Jr crashed at Turn 17, which brought out the safety car. When the pitlane was opened, Felipe Massa was among the many to pit, but was released with the fuel hose still attached and his team had to run to the end of the pitlane to remove it. The order now transformed, Nico Rosberg and Robert Kubica were given penalties for having to stop for fuel before the pitlane had opened. Rosberg, however, had built a lead in his Williams and dropped to just fourth. Jarno Trulli now led from Giancarlo Fisichella.

When Trulli and Fisichella one-stopped, Alonso took over the lead and held it to the end, despite making a second stop on Lap 42. Rosberg was runner-up and Hamilton third. A year later, it emerged that Piquet had been ordered to crash to benefit Alonso, and Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds left the team and were sanctioned by the FIA.

In 2009, Hamilton led the early stages from pole, while Rosberg grabbed second spot, before getting a second penalty in as many years, as he crossed the white line of the pit exit after his stop on Lap 18. A subsequent safety car following the second crash by Adrian Sutil in two Singapore events was followed by Jaime Alguersuari repeating Massa's fuel hose blunder of the previous year. Sebastian Vettel harried Hamilton for the lead, but when he made his second stop on Lap 39, he sped in the pit lane, handing himself a drive-through penalty, a frustration compounded by damaging the car on a kerb on the out lap. Hamilton went on to win from Timo Glock's Toyota and Alonso's Renault. It was the first race of the campaign with no Brawn or Red Bull on the podium.

A year later, it was Alonso who became the first repeat winner here, in addition to claiming his first 'Grand Chelem', after an intense battle with second-placed Vettel. The margin of victory was just 0.239, the closest yet seen here, while Mark Webber was third, after a collision with Hamilton saw the McLaren driver go out of the race. Michael Schumacher had a nightmare and collided with both Kamui Kobayashi and Nick Heidfeld. Heikki Kovalainen and Sébastien Buemi made contact and the former had to put out the fire on his car.

In 2011, it was much less close than the previous year, as Vettel took a lights-to-flag victory from Jenson Button's McLaren and the fellow Red Bull of Mark Webber. Schumacher was once again embroiled in a Singapore smash, this time with the Sauber of Sergio Pérez. After both pitting on Lap 12, Hamilton closed down Massa and made contact on the outside of Turn 7, necessitating a new front wing for him and a set of tyres for the Ferrari driver, who had got a right-rear puncture. The McLaren man also got slapped with a drive-through penalty.

Hamilton started the 2012 event on pole, with Pastor Maldonado alongside in the Williams, but it was Vettel who came through to win after the McLaren driver suffered a gearbox failure on Lap 22. Schumacher made it a hat-trick of collisions at this track, this time meeting Jean-Eric Vergne's Toro Rosso. Jenson Button and Alonso completed the podium in their McLaren and Ferrari, respectively.

In 2013, Vettel got away from pole more slowly than Rosberg, who grabbed first slot into Turn 1 but ran wide, handing the place back. Thereafter, he controlled the race to the finish, taking a hat-trick of wins at Marina Bay and a Grand Chelem. Coming home second was Alonso, who stopped on the slowing-down lap to pick up Webber, whose engined had lunched itself on Lap 60 and set on fire. Both received reprimands, but Webber's impacted his next race, as this was his third one, and he got a ten-place grid penalty. Kimi Räikkönen was third.

Lewis Hamilton took the spoils with Mercedes a year later, becoming the third repeat winner at Marina Bay. Alonso made a brave lunge into Turn 1, but ran wide and slipped back. The Red Bulls of Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo completed the podium. Hamilton's team-mate and championship rival Nico Rosberg had a wiring loom issue and a recalcitrant steering wheel and, after having started at the back, went out on Lap 13.

It looked like it could be a second year in succession of starting setbacks for Rosberg, when in 2015, he had a glitch on the way to the grid and stopped at the end of the pitlane. The issue was resolved, though, and he took up his sixth place. Vettel had taken pole and went on to take a fourth Singapore victory and the first of two for Ferrari. Ricciardo followed him home within a second a half in second in the Red Bull, while Räikkönen managed third. The race was marred by an intruder sneaking on to the track.

2016 saw Rosberg become the fourth driver to win at Marina Bay, comfortably taking the spoils from pole. Carlos Sainz's Toro Rosso tangled with Nico Hülkenberg's Force India on the opening lap, sending the latter out of the race. Ricciardo was runner-up for a second straight year, but this time just under half a second behind, while Hamilton ended up third. After a couple of technical-related grid penalties, Singapore specialist Sebastian Vettel climbed from 22nd to 5th.

In 2017, we witnessed the first wet weather at a night Grand Prix. A spectacular accident into Turn 1 involving the Ferraris of Räikkönen and Vettel and Max Verstappen's Red Bull, eliminated all three from proceedings and made it the first time in F1 history that both works Ferraris retired on the opening lap. Lewis Hamilton then led and went on to win from Ricciardo, once again second, and Valtteri Bottas in the sister Mercedes.

Hamilton won again in 2018, this time from Max Verstappen and Vettel. Kevin Magnussen set what stands as the fastest race lap to this day in his Haas. In 2019, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc took pole, but it was his team-mate Vettel who took a fifth victory, and his first in a little over a year. Leclerc sealed the runner-up slot and in doing so, gave Singapore its first 1-2 finish for a team, while Verstappen completed the podium. As in 2016, Sainz and Hülkenberg collided, but this time, both drivers survived the race. Kevin Magnussen set fastest lap again for the second year in succession, but did not get the extra point for doing so, as he was outside the top ten finishers.

After returning following a COVID-induced hiatus, Sergio Pérez became the fifth victor at Marina Bay. The start was delayed by just over an hour after thunderstorms, and all cars started the race on intermediates. Pérez grabbed the lead from Leclerc into Turn 1. There were two full SCs and two VSCs. Pérez won by two and a half seconds from the Ferrari of Leclerc and the other one of Sainz. He had received a five-second penalty for falling more than ten car lengths behind the safety car, but he managed to protect his victory margin. Max Verstappen had a scrappy race, starting 8th and ending up just 7th.


Trivia

There has only been one 1-2 for a team here, in 2019, for Ferrari.

Sebastian Vettel has the most wins in the Singapore Grand Prix, with five.

Lewis Hamilton has four first places, while Fernando Alonso has two. Sandwiched between them on wins is Graeme Lawrence, who won in 1969, 1970 and 1971.

Max Verstappen has never won here, but a Max has - Max Stewart in 1972.

There are only three circuits on the calendar Verstappen hasn’t won on yet – Marina Bay is one of them. Losail and Las Vegas (be fair on the latter – we haven’t had a race there yet) are the others.

Max Verstappen made history in the Italian Grand Prix, with 10 consecutive Grand Prix wins. Red Bull continue to be on course to be the first team in F1 history to win every Grand Prix.

At Marina Bay, the safety car has appeared at least once in every race.

Five of the Marina Bay races have exceeded the two-hour limit.


The track

There have now been five different version of Marina Bay. The 'Singapore Sling', The wiggly Turn 10 chicane, was removed for the 2013 Grand Prix and replaced with a simple left-hander. In 2015, Turns 11 to 13 were modified, while Turns 16 and 17 were changed for the 2018 event. Now, due to the building of an outdoor venue, the old Turns 16-19 have been removed and a straight will connect Turn 15 with the old Turn 20/21 chicane, henceforth the Turn 16/17 chicane. Laptimes are expected to be shaved by around ten seconds, while one lap will be added to the race distance.




Other information

Circuit length: 4.94 km
Number of laps: 62
Race distance: 306.143 km
Dry weather tyre compounds: C3, C4 and C5

Race Lap Record: n/a
First Grand Prix in Singapore: 1961
First Singapore Grand Prix: 1966
First Grand Prix at this circuit: 2008
First Grand Prix on current configuration: 2023

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