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Singapore by the night is a shimmering skyline of tropical beauty, which each year turns into a showpiece arena for Formula 1. It is a test of physical endurance and concentration as drivers compete over 61 laps in the race - in 30°C heat and high humidity - which takes a little under two hours to complete. The cockpit temperatures can reach 60°C, and drivers end up losing 3-4 kgs a race. The Marina Bay Street Circuit (alias the Singapore Street Circuit) is in a harbour side location similar in style to the Circuit de Monaco and the Valencia Street Circuit, designed by Kellogg Brown & Root Inc. It is the first street circuit in Asia for F1 races.
Circuit Details | Marina Bay Street Circuit
Track Length: 5.065 kms Turns 23 Race Distance: 61 laps (308.828 km)
Lap Record 1:45.008 , Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 2017
It hosted the inaugural night race in Formula 1 in 2008; and while Abu Dhabi and Bahrain have followed suit, the glamour and challenge of the Singapore street circuit are unmatched. It is a long, energy-sapping race and one that the drivers relish to conquer. The lights are four times brighter than at a regular sports stadium. They are specially designed to minimize glare and surface reflection and to meet F1’s TV broadcasting standards. Here are some more interesting trivia about the Singapore Grand Prix:
#20 Approximately 1,600 light projectors are fitted along a temporary aluminium truss around the circuit. The truss, 10 metres above ground level and supported by vertical steel pylons 32m apart, are there only on one side of the track to keep logistics and costs to a minimum.
#19 The circuit is bathed in 3,000 lux of light (Lux is a unit for illuminance). The light beams come in at angles instead of vertically, so that the reflection doesn’t get into the drivers’ eyes even if there are puddles during a downpour.
#18 For a tropical venue, it is surprising to have had just one race affected by rain - the one in 2017, won by Lewis Hamilton for Mercedes.
#17 Grid girls are back in F1 after the Monaco Grand Prix. The night race will feature the cabin crew ladies from Singapore Airlines as in the previous years.
#16 The Singapore Grand Prix featured in Formula Libre races in the country from 1966-73, before being dropped for a variety of reasons - increase in traffic, the necessity of closing public roads for the event and the fatal accidents during the 1972 and 1973 races.
#15 The Marina Bay circuit had a corner named after the famous cocktail - Singapore Sling. The chicane between turn 9 and 10 had prominently raised kerbs that would act as a tiny ramp and send the cars flying over them, hence making the already tricky circuit even more trickier. Felipe Massa called it 'tiny turtles lying on the chicane, that can wreck the car's floor'.
#14 The safety car has been deployed in every Singapore Grand Prix to date. 17 times in 10 races.
#13 It’s a long (420m) and slow pitlane at Marina Bay. The longest is Silverstone, 457m. With a speed limit of just 60km/h it takes 29s to make a stop, it is the longest duration of pit lane entry of the season.
#12 With an average speed of 172 kmph, the Marina Bay Street Circuit is the second slowest circuit on the calendar after Monaco, with around 47% of the lap taken at full throttle.
#11 The twisty, sinewy layout is very hard on the brakes, while the gearboxes take a solid pounding, with around 80 gear changes per lap.
#10 Singapore Grand Prix has seen 2 grand slams (pole position, win, fastest lap, and led every lap) - by Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) in 2013 and Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) in 2010.
#9 Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber were reprimanded by the FIA, after Webber hitched a ride back to the pits on Alonso's Ferrari as his Red Bull was in flames at the end of the race in 2013.
#8 Half of the constructors this year - Renault, McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes have won races at Marina Bay. Red Bull and Mercedes have the most with 3, Ferrari 2, with one each for Renault and McLaren.
#7 No constructor has ever had a 1-2 finish at Singapore.
#6 Singapore attracts a lot of musical talent for the race weekend. Since 2008, 24 Grammy Award winners have performed at the the Singapore Grand Prix weekend.
#5 The inaugural race in 2008 was the 800th in the history of the world championship. But it is famous for the Crashgate controversy as Renault's Nelson Piquet Jr deliberately crashed his car which helped teammate Fernando Alonso to a controversial victory.
#4 If Fernando Alonso by any slim chance gets a podium finish, he will be the first driver to be on the podium with 3 different constructors (Renaut, Ferrari, McLaren)
#3 Just four drivers have shared victories at the Singapore Grand Prix held since 2008. Sebastian Vettel has won four times (2011-2013, 2015), Lewis Hamilton three times (2009, 2014, 2017), Fernando Alonso twice (2008, 2010), and Nico Rosberg once (2016).
#2 The race begins at 8 pm Singapore time, the latest local time at any of the Grands Prix.
#1 The exact duration of the now-traditional post-race fireworks display, triggered as the winner crosses the line to take the chequered flag is 3 minutes 40 seconds.
