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Marina Bay Street Circuit

CIRCUIT PAGE
04/01/2024

CIRCUIT DIAGRAM

Click the image for a larger version of the circuit map

DETAILS

Marina Bay Street Circuit

Singapore GP Pte Ltd
50 Cuscaden Road
HPL House 06-02
249724
Singapore

Tel: +65 6738 6738

Fax:

Official website:
www.singaporegp.sg

STATISTICS (PRIOR TO 2024)

Length:

4.940km (3.069miles)

Race laps:

61

2023 winner:

Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)

Configuration:

Anti-clockwise

First GP:

2008

Lap record:

1:35.867 (Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 2023)

Type:

Street Circuit

Total races:

13

BIOGRAPHY

Singapore's street circuit weaves through the Marina Bay area of the city in an anti-clockwise direction.

Similar to Monaco in its layout, the 3.148 mile lap is dominated by slow speed corners (24 in total, 14 left and 10 right) and has only a handful of higher speed connecting stretches, the highest of which being Raffles Boulevard on which the drivers reach 190 mph. Despite so many braking events, the average lap speed is around the 110 mph mark with 50% of the lap spent at full throttle.

Over and above the clear demands provided by a night race, Singapore's creative layout brings its own challenge in that four-fifths of the track take in the city's streets, while the remaining one fifth has been built specifically for the Grand Prix.

From the outset, the circuit has been criticised by drivers as being excessively bumpy, particularly on Raffles Boulevard between turns 5 and 7, resulting in a very unforgiving circuit, especially given the hot and humid conditions of the climate. Indeed, Lewis Hamilton claims that Singapore is twice as hard to negotiate as Monaco and unexpectedly physical.

Ahead of the inaugural race (2008) several drivers expressed their concern about the high and harsh kerbs at the chicane Turn 10), worried that hitting the bumps could cause suspension damage or even damage a tub. They also raised concerns that the bumps would pitch them into the wall on the outside of the corner.

Though the FIA had been involved in the development of the kerbs, in response to the drivers' concerns Charlie Whiting agreed to lower the kerbs at Turn 10 chicane ahead of the Friday free practice session. The kerbs were further reduced in height for Saturday and Sunday's night race.

The chicane at Turn 10 was re-profiled for the 2010 race in an attempt to make it safer and the turns more gradual by moving the kerbs, however Hamilton said the modification made the chicane more dangerous by making the entry to the corner smaller, subsequently dubbing it "the worst corner in F1".

The pit lane entrance, which originally began at the penultimate corner, has also been deemed "difficult" and “incredibly dangerous" by several drivers due to the fast nature of where it is situated. The pit entry was subsequently modified by extending the entry line away from the pits thereby compelling drivers to commit to the pit entry earlier, providing additional warning to those following behind.

The combination of cambers and bumps characteristic of a street track and the smooth asphalt of a designated racing circuit complicate set-up direction over the weekend. With the region notoriously humid, rain is often expected most evenings which further exaggerates the set-up conundrum.

The difficult nature of the circuit was to play a part in one of the most infamous incidents in modern Formula One history, when, in 2008, Nelson Piquet Jr, under instructions from senior members of the Renault team, crashed deliberately to help his teammate, Fernando Alonso win the race.

For 2015 the track was re-aligned between turns 10 and 13 and now uses the left hand side of the Anderson Bridge.

Fast Facts - Provided by the FIA

2018 marked the eleventh running of the Singapore Grand Prix as a round of the F1 World Championship. The race has been held every year since 2008.

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