With the European season firmly behind us and the title battles building to a climax, Formula One voyages to the rich city-state of Singapore for the third running of the night race around the houses.
In fact, depending on your perspective, this year will mark the fourth, the eleventh or even the fourteenth running of the Singapore Grand Prix. The early events ran from 1961-73 and were held on another street circuit, based in dense woodlands off Upper Thomson Road to the north of the city centre. The circuit took in two distinct sections, with a mile-long straight following the main road with bus stops and lamp posts lining the track edge, and a right-handed kink over a crest taken at around 160mph. The return section was narrow, twisting and undulating, lined with enormous trees, steep embankments and monsoon drains. Even by the standards of the era it was heart-in-the-mouth stuff, and serious accidents were commonplace, several fatal.
Singapore unilaterally declared independence from Britain in 1963, and for the next two years was part of the Malaysian Federation, hence the three races held in the intervening period were titled the Malaysian Grand Prix. With full independence in August 1965 the event became known as the Singapore Grand Prix. Typically run to Formule Libre regulations the events attracted a mixed bag of cars and drivers, with local participants Rodney Seow and Lee Han Seng gaining a measure of hero status through their exploits. By the early 1970s the cream of the crop had Formula 2 cars at their disposal, and leading drivers from Australia and New Zealand were taking part - the final race in 1972 being won by future F1 driver Vern Schuppan at an average speed of over 90mph.
Increasing safety concerns and the oil crisis of 1973 brought the event to an end and few could have expected the city streets to be reverberating to the sound of racing engines ever again. The petrolheads at the Singapore Tourism Board never forgot, however - or so they tell us - and with the government providing the majority of the financial support for the event, Bernie Ecclestone was presented with a project he could hardly refuse.
The first Singapore GP of the modern era in 2008 was notable for a number of firsts. Impressively, the organisers sold out their entire allocation of 110,000 tickets. Even more impressively, they had agreed to Ecclestone's request for the event to be held at night (to maximise the European TV audience) and successfully tackled the enormous logistical problem of floodlighting the entire 5km course. The Singapore skyline at night provided a unique backdrop to the event that must have delighted the tourism board.
Previous Events
Unfortunately the 2008 race will also be remembered for the cynical manipulation of the race by the Renault team, who had arranged for their driver Nelson Piquet Jr. to crash on lap 14. The resultant Safety Car benefitted Piquet's team-mate Fernando Alonso, who had already made his pit stop, and the Spaniard went on to take the victory from Williams' Nico Rosberg, who had pitted for fuel when the pit lane was closed, but still made a net gain due to the stewards' tardiness in applying the stop-go penalty. Ferrari's Felipe Massa was signalled to leave his pit with the fuel hose still attached and scored no points, a serious blow to his putative championship bid.
The following year saw a win for Lewis Hamilton, after main challenger Sebastian Vettel was penalised for speeding in the pitlane. Timo Glock was second for Toyota, with Fernando Alonso's Renault completing the podium. The 2010 event was won by the Spaniard, now at Ferrari, with Vettel second. Mark Webber finished third having survived contact with a charging Lewis Hamilton, the Briton being forced into retirement with broken suspension. In the closing stages Heikki Kovalainen's Lotus set itself on fire, the Finn parking the burning car on the pit straight and dealing with the fire on his own, with the aid of the Williams pitwall extinguisher.
The Circuit
Held almost entirely on extant city streets, the Marina Bay circuit is narrow, tight and comparatively slow. The longest straight runs from Turn 5 along Raffles Boulevard to the 90-degree left at Turn 7, but even this is a very difficult place to attempt an overtaking manoeuvre. Drivers have commented on the bumpiness of the circuit, and resurfacing work has been undertaken at key points, as well as reprofiling of some of the highest kerbs. High ambient temperatures - even at night - and low average speeds will make for hot, sticky cockpits and provide a stern test of drivers' stamina and concentration levels. While previous events have remained dry, Singapore is known for heavy early evening downpours and in combination with the floodlighting this could make visibility through clear visors very challenging.
Full article - Clip The Apex
| Circuit type | Road |
| First Race Held | 2008 |
| Time zone | GMT +8 |
| Designer | KBR, Inc. (modification on Hermann Tilke) |
| Circuit length | 5.067 km (3.148 mi) |
| Race length | 309.087 km (192.066 mi) |
| Number of laps | 61 |
| Circuit Turns | 23 |
| Circuit Direction | Counter clockwise |
| Number of races held | 3 |
| Lap record | 1:45.599 (K Raikkonen 2008) |
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