Singapore – Presentation: From F1 until the End of the Night

« The night race and the high temperatures really test you: for me, Singapore is the most physically difficult race of the season. I’ve been preparing for it for several weeks now by exercising my heat resistance in a sauna, to be ready to sweat! »

The driver fears the heat, both for himself and for his machine. Once a certain limit is surpassed, neither can withstand it any longer: the Asian tour (Singapore and Malaysia two weeks later) is dreaded due to a higher humidity percentage compared to other regions of the world. And the 60 degrees reached inside the cockpits don’t make things any easier! As Max Verstappen confesses, preparation is crucial for tackling these very particular conditions.

Ten years already

In 2008, the small world of Formula 1 landed on the soil of Singapore. A new type of race was inaugurated, a night race. Since then, nine editions have followed, and this season the milestone of ten will be reached.

With four victories, Sebastian Vettel holds the record. This results in only four different winners statistically! Behind the German driver, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton have each stood on the top step of the podium twice. Nico Rosberg completes the list with his victory last year.

The other interesting figure concerns the probability of a Safety Car: 100%! In every edition, the race direction has decided to send the safety car onto the track at least once. In 2015, its deployment allowed Max Verstappen to make up his lap deficit after a missed start, finishing eighth, ahead of his teammate Carlos Sainz. And of course, in 2008, in a race marked by the controversial victory of Fernando Alonso, and especially by the infamous Crashgate scandal, which cost Nelsinho Piquet his reputation.

Jumbled together, other events can still be mentioned:

Challenges at every level

The Revenge of the Scuderia?

The wound needs to be treated: Scuderia Ferrari must regain its footing, fifteen days after the blow received at home. Left behind in the rain on Saturday and on dry ground on Sunday at Monza, the SF70H has dropped the ball. And for good reason, Sebastian Vettel is no longer leading the Drivers’ World Championship for the first time this season!

But plunged into the Singaporean humidity, the prancing horse and its driver have a sign on their back.

Greedy for support, the Ferrari /f1/actualite/22253-italie-course-lewis-hamilton-imperial-en-terres-italiennes.html appreciates slow circuits, as evidenced by victories in Melbourne, Monaco, and at the Hungaroring at the end of July. So much the better for its star driver, who is experiencing a divine idyll in Singapore. Besides his successes, the German has never finished outside the top 10 in nine editions. Starting from last place last year, the four-time world champion even worked his way back to fifth place under the checkered flag.

On this side of the garages, the night stage will be a true test. The race for development is the key in the quest for the Holy Grail, against an opponent who has made waves with their new oil combustion system. Even if Maurizio Arrivabene hasn’t sparked controversy, Ferrari must prove they can keep up. The statistics are indeed telling. Since the 2010 season, the Italian team has never won a race in the second half of the season, after the break!

That said, Italian fans can be reassured. Mercedes will also be under pressure on this atypical circuit! For Toto Wolff and his team, Singapore remains an enigma. The case study was the 2015 edition where Nico Rosberg finished 25 seconds behind the winner Sebastian Vettel, while Lewis Hamilton, defeated by KO, experienced a major failure in his settings and tire temperature management.

#SINGAPOREGP 🇸🇬 VET vs. HAM

Who’s your money on this weekend? pic.twitter.com/2hO0K6xgPT

— Formula 1 (@F1) September 12 /f1/actualite/22253-italie-course-lewis-hamilton-imperial-en-terres-italiennes.html

The Profitable Sacrifice of Red Bull?

Burdened with 45 grid penalties at Monza (25 places for Ricciardo, 20 for Verstappen), the Austrian team lost (at minimum) a chance for a podium in Italy, with Ricciardo finishing fourth, just a whisker behind Vettel’s Ferrari.

But never mind. The goal for the weekend in Singapore is to get off to a good start. Let’s recall the capabilities of the Winged Bull: second last year in Rosberg’s rearview mirrors, Christian Horner’s team boasts two other second places in 2014 and 2015. Not to mention Vettel’s three consecutive victories between 2011 and 2013.

Moreover, Daniel Ricciardo is not mistaken. Singapore is indeed one of our best chances for victories in the second half of the season. It would therefore be no surprise to see the Australian on the top step of the podium, after his initial success in Baku, another street circuit.

The Nightmares of the Renault Boys

Speaking of podiums, Sunday’s race is about to offer us a new record. For his 129th start, Nico Hülkenberg can break the record for most starts without a top 3 finish, previously held by Adrian Sutil.

A peak moment for the former Force India driver, winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in /f1/actualite/21340-singapour-course-la-nuit-appartient-a-nico-rosberg-le-coup-est-passe-pres-pour-ricciardo-.html, and who missed some great opportunities, of his own making or not (think of the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix).

Meanwhile, the news will also be on the other side of the team. Jolyon Palmer’s seat is more than hot, a result of the indirect consequence of the multi-layered billiard game McLaren-Honda-Toro Rosso-Renault. Hit by reliability issues in Belgium and Italy, the Briton is playing his last card before maybe seeing his dream turn into a nightmare.

Eighth in the overall standings, his team would certainly welcome the first points of their driver, who has finished eleventh three times this season. Let’s remember that 21 small points separate the Franco-British team from Williams, fifth in the table.

To (really) know everything…

As usual for street circuits, Pirelli has chosen to bring its softest tires, namely the ultra-soft, super-soft, and soft. The hardest set of tires is relatively shunned this weekend as it was in Monza. It should be noted that Sebastian Vettel has selected only one set of super-softs.

The #Fit4F1 tyres of the @F1NightRace: Purple, Purple and Purple. #SingaporeGP https://t.co/NowJ9WgGfP

— Pirelli Motorsport (@Pirellisport) September 5

Like in Baku, Singapore also offers two DRS activation zones. The first zone is located on the back straight, between turns 5 and 7, with a detection point placed at the exit of the hairpin at turn 3. The second zone is positioned on the main straight, with a detection point located at the pit lane entry, between turns 21 and 22.

Meteorologically, rain is expected to be ruled out this weekend. However, clouds will be omnipresent, and humidity levels are expected to fluctuate between 70 and 80%, which could cause some (cold?) sweat for the drivers, mechanics, and engineers in the pits!

Don’t forget the TV program