As with the previous city circuits, Singapore will also race with the trio of mixes softest in the range Pirelli. The choice of Mario Isola and his concerns one C3 is it will be used as P Zero White hard, C4 as P Zero Yellow medium and C5 as P Zero Red soft. The Singapore Grand Prix takes place at night starting at 20pm local time. The high humidity, high temperatures and the difficulty in dispersing heat due to the walls that delimit the track make the race very physically demanding for the drivers.
Changing the layout
The layout has been changed: the section between turns 16 and 19 has in fact become a long straight of approximately 397 metres. The modification has reduced the number of curves from 23 to 19. The Total length of the track is 4,940 km (compared to the previous 5,063 km). The laps to be covered in the race will be 62, one more than the last edition. The Marina Bay circuit is characterized by the presence of many elements - stripes and manholes - which distinguish the roads used by public traffic, which can vary the level of grip of the asphalt in some points, especially in case of rain.
Pirelli opts for a one-stop race
The one stop is the clear favourite. One of the reasons is because the time lost in the pit stop (around 28″) is the highest of the season, together with that of Imola. The hardest compound available is usually, in dry conditions, the great protagonist of the race. As with other street circuits, grid position is usually crucial to achieving a good finish under the checkered flag. It must be considered above all the limited overtaking possibilities. The result of the qualifications is often reflected in the final one.
Remembering the past years
Last year the start of the race was postponed by an hour due to a storm that hit Marina Bay a few minutes before the grid opened. The single-seaters began the race on intermediate tires and then switched, in conjunction with a Virtual Safety Car, to Medium and Soft. The first edition of the Singapore Grand Prix was held in 2008. Since then, the Marina Bay track has been raced a further 12 times, with the exception of the 2020-2021 period, due to the pandemic. Five drivers achieved success in this race: Sebastian Vettel (5), Lewis Hamilton (4), Fernando Alonso (2), Nico Rosberg and Sergio Perez (1 each). The teams with the most victories are Mercedes and Red Bull (4) while Ferrari is the one that has put a driver in pole position the most times (6).
Island: “In Singapore, the slightest mistake costs dearly”
“The final phase of this long season begins in Singapore, which will bring Formula 1 to race on three continents and 16 time zones. From a technical point of view, Marina Bay is a typical city track, very twisty (there are 19 corners, many at 90° C) and with very few escape routes: even a small mistake can be paid dearly".
“Be careful when changing the layout”
"From an aerodynamic point of view, the characteristics of the track require the choice of a high-load configuration. An important innovation on the route makes its debut this year, brought about by a series of building interventions in the Marina Bay area: the section originally between turns 16 and 19 has in fact become a straight stretch almost 400 meters long. The modification will certainly make the circuit faster, both because the total length drops below five kilometers and because it will be decidedly more streamlined. To be evaluated whether the change will impact strategies, also because - at least on paper - an opportunity for overtaking could also have been created, which until now was very difficult unless you had a large margin of advantage in terms of performance".
Isola warns: “Beware of overheating”
"The stress on the tires is not particularly high in terms of loads while particular attention must be given to the management of the rear axle, put to the test during traction when exiting slow corners. Temperatures are usually quite high and constant, as Singapore is located a few kilometers (about 150) from the Equator, which increases the risk of overheating, both of the tires and of all the mechanical parts of the single-seater, without forgetting the decisive element in a car race, namely the driver!”.
SOURCE: Pirelli F1 Media
