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[1][2] and first street circuit in Asia designed for Formula One races.[3]

Singapore Grand Prix
Marina Bay Street Circuit
(2018–present)
Race information
Number of times held20
First held1966
Most wins (drivers) Sebastian Vettel (5)
Most wins (constructors) Mercedes (4)
Ferrari (4)
Circuit length5.063 km (3.146 mi)
Race length308.706 km (191.821 mi)
Laps61
Last race (2019)
Pole position
Podium
Fastest lap

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.[4][5] The previous contract extension was signed in 2012 and lasted until 2017.[6] Since 2008, every race edition has featured at least one safety car, a total of 21 safety car deployments, as of 2019.[7][8][9]

The race under artificial lights start at midday GMT (8 pm local time), 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 60 °C (140 °F).[10][11]

History

Non-championship race (Formula Libre)

First organised in 1961, the race was initially known as the Orient Year Grand Prix.[12] The following year, the race was renamed the Malaysian Grand Prix.[12] 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.[13]

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.[1] 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.[3] 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.[14]

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.[15] The event went on to achieve a full sell-out for all of its tickets.[16] The 2008 race hosted the Amber Lounge after-party and in 2010 Singapore became the second location to host the Amber Lounge Fashion show.

2008
Main article: 2008 Singapore Grand Prix

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.[2] The timing of the night event meant that it could be broadcast live at a convenient time for European TV audiences.[1] The track was also illuminated by a series of projectors which adapt their output to match the shape of the course.[17] On track, Felipe Massa was the first man to sit on the Singapore pole in his Ferrari, and dominated the race until he was released early at a pit stop, breaking his fuel rig and dropping him to last place. The race was won by Fernando Alonso driving for the Renault team, though that result has since been tarnished by controversy. Renault were found to have ordered Nelson Piquet Jr to crash, as the ensuing safety car would strongly benefit Alonso.

2009
Main article: 2009 Singapore Grand Prix

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.[18] McLaren driver and reigning World Champion Lewis Hamilton took pole position and sprinted away to win. Timo Glock finished second for Toyota, and Fernando Alonso was third in the first race for Renault after they received a suspended disqualification from the sport for manipulating the previous year's race.

2010
Main article: 2010 Singapore Grand Prix

Fernando Alonso became the first man to win twice in Singapore. Now at Ferrari, he took pole and resisted Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel on his way to the 25th victory of his F1 career. Michael Schumacher, making his F1 comeback in 2010, struggled in his Mercedes and was 13th, while Heikki Kovalainen leapt from his burning Lotus T127, borrowed a fire extinguisher and put the fire out himself.

2011
Main article: 2011 Singapore Grand Prix

Sebastian Vettel, an eight-time winner in 2011 before Marina Bay, led the drivers' championship by over 100 points. He won the race from his 11th pole of the season. Vettel, Button, Webber, Alonso and Hamilton filled the top five places. Michael Schumacher again struggled as he slammed into the Sauber of Sergio Pérez.

2012
Main article: 2012 Singapore Grand Prix

On 22 September 2012, the AP reported that Bernie Ecclestone and the Singapore Grand Prix had agreed that the Grand Prix would remain on the Formula One calendar until 2017.[19] Lewis Hamilton claimed 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 Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull that inherited the race lead when Hamilton pulled out with gearbox problems. Vettel then dedicated his 23rd Grand Prix win to Sid Watkins, who had died shortly before the race.

2013
Main article: 2013 Singapore Grand Prix

For the 2013 race, it was announced that the 10th turn of the track, the "Singapore Sling" chicane, would be reconfigured so the cars would have to navigate a flowing left-hander before accelerating towards the Anderson Bridge.[20]

Sebastian Vettel took 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.

2014
Main article: 2014 Singapore Grand Prix

On 15 April 2014, it was announced that Singapore Airlines would sponsor the Singapore Grand Prix, starting from that year.[21]

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 retired with technical problems. Sebastian Vettel, bound for Ferrari in 2015, finished second ahead of new Red Bull partner Daniel Ricciardo.

2015
Main article: 2015 Singapore Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton 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 took 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 split the two Ferraris in second place, while Formula One rookie Max Verstappen shouted '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. He climbed over the fencing when the safety car was deployed. Eventual race winner Vettel described the man as 'crazy' in his post-race interview.[22] 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.[23]

2016
Main article: 2016 Singapore Grand Prix

Nico Rosberg was making his 200th Grand Prix start. He was locked in a two-man tussle for the title with Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton. Rosberg took pole position, and held off Daniel Ricciardo to win after Hamilton retired with brake failure. Rosberg went on to take the title.

2017
Main article: 2017 Singapore Grand Prix

On 19 June 2017, the FIA's World Motor Sport Council in Geneva released its provisional 2018 calendar, in which the Singapore Grand Prix was given a tentative date of 16 September. At the time, the race (as well as the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai) were subject to confirmation by the commercial rights holders.[24] On the eve of the 2017 race, the track and F1 announced an extension for the race through 2021.[25] 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 three drivers. Vettel's title rival, Mercedes's Lewis Hamilton, took full advantage and won the race from 5th on the grid to extend his championship lead over Vettel from 3 points to 28.[26]

2018
Main article: 2018 Singapore Grand Prix

After a disappointing weekend in Monza, Ferrari arrived in Singapore with high hopes of a victory. However, Lewis Hamilton took pole position, 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 Ocon retiring. Vettel overtook Verstappen right before the Safety Car was deployed. 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 but overtook him a lap later. Verstappen pitted for soft tyres on lap 18, and exited just in front of Vettel. 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.[27] 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.[28] In the end Hamilton won, with Vestappen second and Vettel third,[29] increasing his championship lead over the German to 40 points.

2019
Main article: 2019 Singapore Grand Prix

2020
See also: 2020 Formula One World Championship

The 2020 Singapore Grand Prix was due to be held on 20 September but was cancelled as a result of COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore.[30]

Track description
Main article: Marina Bay Street Circuit

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 305 kilometres (190 mi), 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.[31] 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
Year Average Daily Attendance Total Attendance (3-Day) Source
2008 100,000 300,000 [32]
2009 83,000 249,000 [33]
2010 81,350 244,050 [34]
2011 82,500 247,500 [35]
2012 84,317 252,951 [36]
2013 87,509 262,527 [37]
2014 84,454 253,362 [38]
2015 86,970 260,912 [39]
2016 73,000 218,824 [40]
2017 86,800 260,400 [40]
2018 87,666 263,000 [41]
2019 89,333 268,000 [42]

Official names

Winners

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.

Wins Driver Years won
5 Sebastian Vettel 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2019
4 Lewis Hamilton 2009, 2014, 2017, 2018
3 Graeme Lawrence 1969, 1970, 1971
2 Fernando Alonso 2008, 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.

Wins Constructor Years won
4 Mercedes 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018
Ferrari 1970, 2010, 2015, 2019
3 Red Bull 2011, 2012, 2013
2 McLaren 1969, 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.

Wins Manufacturer Years won
5 Ford * 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971
Mercedes 2009, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018
4 Renault 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013
4 Ferrari 1970, 2010, 2015, 2019

* Built by Cosworth

By year

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

Year Driver Constructor Class Location Report
1966 Lee Han Seng Lotus-Ford Formula Libre Thomson Road Report
1967 Rodney Seow Merlyn–Ford Formula Libre Report
1968 Garrie Cooper Elfin–Ford Formula Libre Report
1969 Graeme Lawrence McLaren-Ford Formula Libre Report
1970 Graeme Lawrence Ferrari Formula Libre Report
1971 Graeme Lawrence Brabham-Ford Formula Libre Report
1972 Max Stewart Mildren-Ford [55] Formula Libre Report
1973 Vern Schuppan March-Hart Formula Libre Report
1974
–
2007		 Not held
2008 Fernando Alonso Renault Formula One Marina Bay Report
2009 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes Formula One Report
2010 Fernando Alonso Ferrari Formula One Report
2011 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault Formula One Report
2012 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault Formula One Report
2013 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault Formula One Report
2014 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Formula One Report
2015 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Formula One Report
2016 Nico Rosberg Mercedes Formula One Report
2017 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Formula One Report
2018 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Formula One Report
2019 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Formula One Report

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.[56] The Malaysian Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Liow Tiong Lai stated that the Malaysian Government is unconcerned about possible competition from Singapore.[57] But this concern came to an end after Malaysia decided to withdraw from the Formula One Calendar after 2017.

Track layouts
  • Original circuit (2008–2012)
  • Revised circuit with the "Singapore Sling" chicane removed (2013–2014)
  • Revised circuit with reprofiled turns 11–13 (2015–2017)
  • Current circuit with reprofiled turns 16–17
    (2018–present)

Further reading
  • Solomon, Eli (2008). Snakes & Devils: A History of the Singapore Grand Prix (Hard cover). Singapore: Marshall Cavendish. ISBN 978-981-261-584-8.
  • De Cotta, Ian (2008). The Singapore Grand Prix – 50 Years in the Making. Singapore: MediaCorp Pte Ltd. ISBN 978-981-08-1341-3.
  • Davison, Julian (September 2008). "Gambling For Matchsticks" (PDF). The Expat. pp. 49–58. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 September 2008.

See also

References
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  2. "FIA green light Singapore night race". Formula1.com. 25 October 2007. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  3. "SingTel to sponsor first Singapore Grand Prix". Formula1.com. 16 November 2007. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  4. Meng Meng, Wang (15 September 2017). "Formula One: Singapore Grand Prix signs 4-year extension to host night race". The Straits Times. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  5. "Singapore GP handed new four-year deal". motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. 15 September 2017. Archived from the original on 28 September 2017.
  6. Collantine, Keith (22 September 2012). "Singapore confirms F1 contract extension to 2017". Formula 1 Fanatic. Retrieved 22 September 2012. The Singapore Grand Prix will remain on the F1 calendar for at least the next five years.
  7. "Singapore stats – Rosberg the third driver to win 200th race". Formula1.com. 19 September 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  8. "Race – Hamilton wins dramatic wet-dry Grand Prix in 2017 Singapore Grand Prix with 3 safety car periods". Formula1.com. 19 September 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  9. "Hamilton extends championship advantage with faultless Singapore victory". Formula1.com. 16 September 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
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  19. "Singapore GP extends F1 deal through 2017". 22 September 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
  20. Seen in 'F1 Racing' http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BR5YlESCAAAjBHF.jpg
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  22. "Singapore GP: Track invader was crazy says Sebastian Vettel". Autosport. 20 September 2015. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  23. Parkes, Ian (20 September 2015). "Singapore GP track invader arrested by police". Autosport. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  24. Noble, Jonathan. "Formula 1 2018 calendar revealed with first triple-header". autosport.com. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
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  27. Smith, Luke (16 September 2018). "Perez, Sirotkin accept Singapore penalties were fair". Crash.net. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  28. Collantine, Keith; Rencken, Dieter. "Grosjean's block on Hamilton "one of the worst cases of ignoring blue flags"". www.racefans.net. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  29. "Standings". Formula1.com. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  30. "2020 Singapore Grand Prix cancelled due to 'continuing nationwide restrictions' brought about by COVID-19 pandemic". CNA. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  31. "What To Watch For in Singapore". 20 September 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2017 – via YouTube.
  32. hermesauto (15 September 2017). "Formula One: Singapore Grand Prix signs 4-year extension to host night race". The Straits Times. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  33. "Ticket Sales Momentum continues to build". singaporegp.sg. 4 September 2019.
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