Singapore Grand Prix

Singapore Grand Prix
Marina Bay Street Circuit
Race information
Number of times held 16
First held 1966
Most wins (drivers) Germany Sebastian Vettel (4)
Most wins (constructors) Italy Ferrari (3)
Austria Red Bull (3)
Circuit length 5.065 km (3.147 mi)
Race length 308.828 km (191.897 mi)
Laps 61
Last race (2015)
Pole position
Podium
Fastest lap

The Singapore Grand Prix is a motor race on the calendar of the FIA Formula One World Championship. The event takes place in Singapore on the Marina Bay Street Circuit and was the inaugural F1 night race[1][2] and the first street circuit in Asia.[3] Spaniard Fernando Alonso won the first Formula One edition of the Grand Prix, driving for the Renault team amid controversial circumstances, when a year later it had emerged that his team mate Nelson Piquet Jr. had been ordered to crash on purpose by senior team management to bring out the safety car at a timely moment to catapult Alonso to the head of the line. The Singapore Grand Prix will remain on the F1 calendar until at least 2017, after race organizers signed a contract extension with Formula One Management on the eve of the 2012 event.[4] Every running of the race has featured at least one safety car, a total of 12 safety car deployments since 2008.[5] The running of the race under artificial lights sees the race start at 2 pm CET (8 pm local time), which is the standard time for European Grands Prix, as well as moderating the extreme daytime apparent temperature seen in the tropical climate. Even so, given the race is held just about 172 km from the equator,[6] the cockpit temperature can reach 60 °C (140 °F).[7]

History

Origins

First organised in 1961, the race was initially known as the Orient Year Grand Prix.[8] The following year, the race was renamed the Malaysian Grand Prix.[8] 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.[9]

Formula One

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.[10]

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.[11] The event went on to achieve a full sell-out for all of its tickets.[12]

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.

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.[13] 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.[14]

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.[15]

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.[16]

On 15 April 2014, it was announced that Singapore Airlines would sponsor the Singapore Grand Prix, starting from that year.[17]

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.[18] 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.[19] Considering Tom Pryce had lost his life at Kyalami in 1977 after being hit in the head by a stricken marshals' fire extinguisher, such collisions also pose tremendous dangers to drivers. Therefore, the glitch that allowed the trespassing was regarded with great concern.

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 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.[20] 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 is pretty variable in that aspect, featuring technical sections with quick direction changes as well. 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 straightaways, but are very short by Formula One standards. At most parts of the track, cars run very close to the walls. At the end of the race, fountains light up the night and with the winner in a fireworks picture.

Winners

Multiple winners (drivers)

Embolded drivers are still competing in the Formula One championship.
A pink background indicates an event which was not part of the Formula One World Championship.

Number of wins Driver Years won
4 Germany Sebastian Vettel 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015
3 New Zealand Graeme Lawrence 1969, 1970, 1971
2 Spain Fernando Alonso 2008, 2010
United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton 2009, 2014

Multiple winners (constructors)

Embolded teams are still competing in the Formula One championship.
A pink background indicates an event which was not part of the Formula One World Championship.

Number of wins Constructor Years won
3 Italy Ferrari 1970, 2010, 2015
Austria Red Bull 2011, 2012, 2013
2 United Kingdom McLaren 1969, 2009

By year

Events which were not part of the Formula One World Championship are indicated by a pink background.

Year Driver Constructor Class Location Report
2015 Germany Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Formula One Marina Bay Report
2014 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Formula One Report
2013 Germany Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault Formula One Report
2012 Germany Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault Formula One Report
2011 Germany Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault Formula One Report
2010 Spain Fernando Alonso Ferrari Formula One Report
2009 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes Formula One Report
2008 Spain Fernando Alonso Renault Formula One Report
2007
–
1974		 Not held
1973 Australia Vern Schuppan March-Hart Formula Libre Thomson Road Report
1972 Australia Max Stewart Mildren–Waggott Formula Libre Report
1971 New Zealand Graeme Lawrence Brabham-Ford Formula Libre Report
1970 New Zealand Graeme Lawrence Ferrari Formula Libre Report
1969 New Zealand Graeme Lawrence McLaren-Ford Formula Libre Report
1968 Australia Garrie Cooper Elfin–Ford Formula Libre Report
1967 Singapore Rodney Seow Merlyn–Ford Formula Libre Report
1966 Singapore Lee Han Seng Lotus-Ford Formula Libre Report

Sponsors

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.[21] The Malaysian Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Liow Tiong Lai stated that the Malaysian Government is unconcerned about possible competition from Singapore.[22]

Gallery

Track layouts

Further reading

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Singapore confirms 2008 night race". Formula1.com. 11 May 2007. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  2. 1 2 "FIA green light Singapore night race". Formula1.com. 25 October 2007. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  3. 1 2 "SingTel to sponsor first Singapore Grand Prix". Formula1.com. 16 November 2007. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  4. ↑ 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.
  5. ↑ "The Singapore Grand Prix - did you know?". Formula1.com. 15 September 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  6. ↑ A Bird's Eye View of Singapore
  7. ↑ Singapore Grand Prix in Numbers
  8. 1 2 "A History of the Singapore Grand Prix". Snakes & Devils. Retrieved 15 February 2008.
  9. ↑ "Home – Sports in Independent Singapore – The Grand Prix". Singapore Sports Council. Archived from the original on 29 September 2006. Retrieved 18 May 2007.
  10. ↑ "Singapore wins right to host F1 race next year". Channel NewsAsia. 11 May 2007. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  11. ↑ "Introduction to Singapore Grand Prix". Singapore GP. Archived from the original on 21 October 2007. Retrieved 2 October 2007.
  12. ↑ "F1 2012 | Live Formula 1 Grand Prix news | ESPN F1". En.f1-live.com. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  13. ↑ "Let there be light – illuminating the Singapore Grand Prix". Formula1.com. 8 February 2008. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  14. ↑ Straw, Edd; Noble, Jonathan (7 January 2009). "Singapore to revise track for 2009 race". autosport.com. Retrieved 7 January 2009.
  15. ↑ "Singapore GP extends F1 deal through 2017". 22 September 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
  16. ↑ Seen in 'F1 Racing' http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BR5YlESCAAAjBHF.jpg
  17. ↑ "Singapore Airlines to be Title Sponsor of Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix". 15 April 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  18. ↑ "Singapore GP: Track invader was crazy says Sebastian Vettel". Autosport. 20 September 2015. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  19. ↑ Parkes, Ian (20 September 2015). "Singapore GP track invader arrested by police". Autosport. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  20. ↑ What To Watch For In Singapore
  21. ↑ "Singapore News – Malaysia jittery over Singapore F1 roar". Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved 18 May 2007.
  22. ↑ "Malaysia unconcerned about Singapore GP". Motoring & Independent Online (Pty) Ltd. Retrieved 18 May 2007.

External links

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