Singapore Grand Prix


The Singapore Grand Prix is a motor race which forms part of the FIA Formula One World Championship. The event takes place on the Marina Bay Street Circuit and was the inaugural night race and first street circuit in Asia designed for Formula One races.
Spaniard Fernando Alonso won the first Formula One edition of the Grand Prix, driving for the Renault team amid controversial circumstances, when it emerged a year later that his teammate Nelson Piquet Jr. had been ordered to crash on purpose by senior team management to bring out the safety car at a time chosen to benefit Alonso. The race will remain on the F1 calendar until at least 2021, after race organizers signed a contract extension with Formula One Management on the first day of the 2017 event. The previous contract extension was signed in 2012 and lasted until 2017. Since 2008, every race edition has featured at least one safety car, a total of 21 safety car deployments, as of 2019.
The race under artificial lights start at midday GMT, which is the standard time for European Grands Prix, moderating the extreme daytime apparent temperature in the tropical climate. Even so, cockpit temperatures can reach.

History

Non-championship race (Formula Libre)

First organised in 1961, the race was initially known as the Orient Year Grand Prix. The following year, the race was renamed the Malaysian Grand Prix. After Singapore attained its independence in 1965, the race at the Thomson Road circuit was renamed to the Singapore Grand Prix. The event was discontinued after 1973 and a variety of reasons have been suggested, including an increase in traffic, the very high danger and unsuitability of the track for racing, the inconvenience of having to close roads for the event and fatal accidents during the 1972 and 1973 races.

Formula One

Announced in 2008, an agreement for a five-year deal was signed by Singapore GP Pte Ltd, the Singapore Tourism Board and Bernie Ecclestone. In November 2007 it was announced that the telecommunications company Singtel would sponsor the event, and also they televised the show on Channel 5 called SingTel Grid Girls. The official name of the event became the Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix. The race was co-funded by the Government of Singapore, footing 60% of the total bill, or S$90 million, out of a total tab of S$150 million.
Around 110,000 tickets were made available for the country's first Formula One race. Corporate hospitality suites and packages went on sale at the end November 2007, three-day passes to the public went on sale in February 2008. Single-day passes went on sale a month later. The event went on to achieve a full sell-out for all of its tickets. The 2008 race hosted the famous Amber Lounge after party and in 2010 Singapore became the second location to host the Amber Lounge Fashion show.

2008

The first race held at the new Marina Bay Street Circuit was the 15th round of the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship, and was also the first night-time event in Formula One history. The timing of the night event meant that it could be broadcast live at a convenient time for European TV audiences. The track was also illuminated by a series of projectors which adapt their output to match the shape of the course. On track, Felipe Massa was the first man to sit on the Singapore pole in his Ferrari, but the Brazilian blew that advantage with an early release from his first pit stop. The race was won by Fernando Alonso driving for the Renault team, however that result has since been tarnished by controversy.
For the 2009 race, the circuit was reprofiled slightly, including modifications to turns 1, 2 and 3 to aid overtaking, and also at turn 10 where high kerbs caused many accidents in 2008. McLaren's by then the latest World Champion – Lewis Hamilton took pole position and sprinted away to win. With Timo Glock finishing an unlikely second for Toyota, the
resilient Fernando Alonso was rounded off on the podium again as Renault started to rebuild a reputation ruined at the start of race week.
This race is regarded as one of the greatest of all time. As one of the sport's most thrilling title battles raged, Fernando Alonso became the first man to win twice in
Singapore. Now flying the Ferrari flag, the Spanish star took pole and resisted everything Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel could throw at him on his way to the 25th victory of his F1 career. A former Ferrari champion making his F1
comeback in 2010 also caught the headlines, for the wrong reasons as Michael Schumacher's Mercedes had an incident-packed evening and was 13th, while Heikki Kovalainen coolly leapt from his burning Lotus T127, borrowed a fire extinguisher and dealt with the problem himself.
It was all about Sebastian Vettel, an eight-time winner in 2011 before the circus arrived at Marina Bay. The German was over 100 points clear of the field. Using his 11th pole of the season to perfection, Vettel shrugged off Safety Cars and second-placed Jenson Button to win going away. F1's 'Gang of Five' – Vettel, Button, Webber, Alonso and Hamilton – filled the top five places but the 'new Schumacher' – Sebastian Vettel was en route to his first title defence. Singapore caught out 'old' Schumacher – Michael Schumacher again as he slammed into the Sauber of Sergio Pérez.
On 22 September 2012, the AP reported that Bernie Ecclestone and the Singapore Grand Prix agreed that the Grand Prix will remain on the Formula One calendar through the year of 2017. As F1 people in Singapore and the world over mourned the passing of the much-loved Prof Sid Watkins, Lewis Hamilton refocused quickly enough to claim his fifth pole of the season for McLaren and his second in Singapore. A surprise visitor to the front row alongside him was the Williams of Pastor Maldonado, but it was Vettel's Red Bull that inherited the race lead when Hamilton pulled out with gearbox problems. Sebastian Vettel then dedicated his 23rd Grand Prix win to 'The Prof'.
For the 2013 race, it was announced that the 10th turn of the track, the "Singapore Sling" chicane, will be reconfigured so the cars will have to navigate a flowing left-hander before accelerating towards the Anderson Bridge.
It was Sebastian Vettel who stole the show with a 'hat-trick': his third successive win in Singapore with Red Bull and the 33rd of his career as a fourth straight title also loomed. He did it from his second Singapore pole, recovering from the surprise of seeing Nico Rosberg's Mercedes briefly ahead at race start to take victory by over half a minute. Fernando Alonso was on the podium yet again before stopping his Ferrari to pick up Mark Webber, whose Red Bull was in flames at Turn 7.
On 15 April 2014, it was announced that Singapore Airlines would sponsor the Singapore Grand Prix, starting from that year.
F1's new-generation turbo-charged, hybrid-powered cars brought a new look to the track, ending the reign of the 2.4-litre power unit, but a controversial ban on radio communications dominated pre-race proceedings. Mercedes's Lewis Hamilton sailed to his seventh win of the year, becoming Singapore's third multiple winner in the process as teammate Nico Rosberg fell victim to the technical gremlins
inherent in the new formula. For once Sebastian Vettel, bound for Ferrari in 2015, had to settle for second ahead of new Red Bull partner Daniel Ricciardo.
arrived in Singapore one pole position shy of his idol Ayrton Senna's record run of eight in a row. Another win would also put Hamilton on 41 – the same number as Senna. Sebastian Vettel was unmoved as he chose Singapore as the venue for his first Ferrari pole, then made it four wins at Marina Bay as Hamilton retired with a loss of electrical power just after half-distance. Daniel Ricciardo did well to split the two Ferraris in second place, while Formula One rookie Max Verstappen belligerently bellowed 'No!' when told to move over for Toro Rosso teammate Carlos Sainz.
During the 2015 race a spectator entered the track on the straight after Anderson Bridge, as leaders Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo sped by. Given that he crossed the track, the accident probability was high, but he climbed over the fencing himself when the safety car was deployed. Eventual race winner Vettel described the man as 'crazy' in his post-race interview. The 27-year-old man was arrested by Singapore police after the incident. CCTV footage showed he had sneaked through a gap in the fencing.
had not visited the Marina Bay podium since 2008, so his 200th Grand Prix start seemed the perfect moment to put things right; especially as the German was locked in a two-man tussle for the title with Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton. A stunning run to pole position laid the perfect foundation, and when Hamilton's hopes faded along with his brakes victory seemed certain. Nobody told Daniel Ricciardo: the Australian mounted a thrilling late charge to keep Rosberg's supporters on the edge of their seats, finishing second with another Singapore fastest lap. Victory was the springboard for Rosberg's title success.
On 19 June 2017, the FIA's World Motor Sport Council in Geneva released its provisional 2018 calendar where the Singapore Grand Prix was given a tentative date of 16 September. At the time, the race were subject to confirmation by the commercial rights holders. On the eve of the 2017 race, the track and F1 announced an extension for the race through 2021. This race was a critical event in the season as polesitter and title contender, Sebastian Vettel, was involved in a first corner collision with Ferrari teammate Kimi Räikkönen and Red Bull's Max Verstappen, which led to the retirement of all 3 drivers. Vettel's title rival, Mercedes's Lewis Hamilton was not going to let this go unpunished and took full advantage of this chaos and took victory from 5th on the grid and extended his championship lead over Vettel from 3 points to 28 points.
After a disappointing weekend in Monza, Ferrari arrived in Singapore with high hopes of a victory. However, a stunning lap by Lewis Hamilton in qualifying put him on pole, ahead of Max Verstappen and the Ferrari of Vettel. At the start, the two Racing Point Force India drivers, Sergio Pérez and Esteban Ocon had an incident which resulted in the latter retiring. Vettel overtook Verstappen right before the Safety Car commenced. Vettel was the first of the front runners to pit, on lap 15. He was put on ultrasoft tyres, while most other people who pitted during that time went for the softs. He exited behind Pérez and struggled to overtake him, but after a lap he managed to do it. Verstappen pitted on lap 18, and exited just in front of Vettel. He was on softs. Vettel, being on the higher wear ultrasofts did not attack in order to be able to make it to the end. On lap 34, Pérez had a clash with Sergey Sirotkin which resulted in him getting a drive-through penalty. Sirotkin himself got a 5-second time penalty after forcing Brendon Hartley off the track. Later on in the race, he was battling with Romain Grosjean as Hamilton and Verstappen approached to lap them. Instead of letting the leaders pass, Grosjean continued to attack Sirotkin which allowed Verstappen to close the gap to Hamilton and nearly overtake him. The Frenchman was handed a 5-second penalty and 2 penalty points on his licence. In the end Hamilton won, with Vestappen second and Vettel third, increasing his championship lead over the German to 40 points.
The 2020 Singapore Grand Prix was due to be held on 20 September but was cancelled as a result of 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.

Track description

Although the track has seen some minor changes as seen above, the basic layout has in many aspects remained unchanged. It is a twisty circuit that is the slowest in Formula One running at normal race distance above, which combined with its features of proximity to walls leads to frequent safety cars, further extending the running to nearing the race time limit of two hours. The bumpiness, the heavy braking zones, the lack of daylight and the humidity makes the race very testing for both drivers and cars. It has some 90-degree turns, but with a high degree of variability, featuring technical sections and quick direction changes. Overtaking is primarily done at the end of the first sector, where top speeds are at their highest. Runoff areas exist at the end of the long straights, but are very short by Formula One standards. At most parts of the track, cars run very close to the walls.

Attendance

Official names

Repeat winners (drivers)

Drivers in bold are competing in the Formula One championship in the current season.
A pink background indicates an event which was not part of the Formula One World Championship.
WinsDriverYears won
5 Sebastian Vettel2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2019
4 Lewis Hamilton2009, 2014, 2017, 2018
3 Graeme Lawrence1969, 1970, 1971
2 Fernando Alonso2008, 2010

Repeat winners (constructors)

Teams in bold are competing in the Formula One championship in the current season.
A pink background indicates an event which was not part of the Formula One World Championship.
WinsConstructorYears won
4 Mercedes2014, 2016, 2017, 2018
4 Ferrari1970, 2010, 2015, 2019
3 Red Bull2011, 2012, 2013
2 McLaren1969, 2009

Repeat winners (engine manufacturers)

Manufacturers in bold are competing in the Formula One championship in the current season.
A pink background indicates an event which was not part of the Formula One World Championship.
WinsManufacturerYears won
5 Ford *1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971
5 Mercedes2009, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018
4 Renault2008, 2011, 2012, 2013
4 Ferrari1970, 2010, 2015, 2019

* Built by Cosworth

By year

A pink background indicates an event which was not part of the Formula One World Championship.

Concerns

Before the first modern race took place, Malaysian Sports Minister Azalina Othman Said said that the proximity of the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, which hosts the Malaysian Grand Prix and is about 300 kilometres from Singapore, would create unhealthy competition. The Malaysian Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Liow Tiong Lai stated that the Malaysian Government is unconcerned about possible competition from Singapore. But this concern came to an end after Malaysia decided to withdraw from the Formula One Calendar after 2017.

Track layouts