Just a few days on from the Bahrain Grand Prix in Sepang, Scuderia Ferrari HP is back on track for one of the most iconic and demanding events of the season, the Singapore Grand Prix.

Adding to the challenge of the weekend, for the very first time the Singapore event will run to the Sprint format.

As always, the Sprint means a different schedule compared to a normal Grand Prix weekend. In what will be the final Sprint of the season, teams will have just one free practice session, on Friday afternoon, before Sprint Qualifying a few hours later. On As with all street circuits, at Marina Bay, it is crucial to gradually build confidence running between the walls and to find the right set-up compromise as quickly as possible. The Sprint, over 21 laps, takes place on Saturday, followed in the evening by qualifying for Sunday's Grand Prix.

The Marina Bay Street Circuit is 4.927 kilometres long and features 19 corners. The layout, modified in 2023 with the removal of the sequence between Turns 16 and19, now flows better, but still retains the typical characteristics of a street circuit: a relatively narrow track, with the walls very close to the racing line and little room for error. The cars are subjected to considerable stress, particularly in terms of the braking system and cooling, while track position remains a decisive factor, making qualifying performance particularly important.

Singapore is traditionally one of the most demanding events of the year for the drivers too. In Sepang they endured extreme heat and humidity on Friday and Saturday, but were spared the worst of it on Sunday when cooler air arrived during the Grand Prix. Despite all the main sessions taking place in the late afternoon and evening, temperatures in Singapore are expected to be very high, extremely high humidity levels. These conditions put the drivers and team personnel, as well as the cars, to the test. Added to this is the unpredictability of the weather, with frequent thunderstorms capable of making an already particularly tough weekend even more challenging.

Fred Vasseur: The final Sprint weekend of the season presents an extra challenge because of the demands of Singapore's Marina Bay circuit, a track where drivers generally want as many laps as possible to build up confidence. The margins between the teams are very small and we need to ensure that we maximise all sessions, and FP1 in particular to allow the drivers to get to grips with the car. Singapore is one of the toughest races of the year for everyone in the team, especially so this year, coming as it does at the end of a triple-header. We will do all we can to bring home the best result possible.

Ferrari at the Singapore GP

16 GP Entered
2008 Debut (F. Massa 13th; K. Raikkonen 15th)
4 (25.00%) Wins
7 (43.75%) Pole Positions
2 (12.50%) Fastest Laps
11 (22.92%) Podiums

Three questions to Michele Messina - Sports Physician at Med-Ex and Member of the Medical Support Team for Scuderia Ferrari HP.

Singapore is the final race of a triple-header that has taken the team from Baku to Sepang and now to Marina Bay. How did you prepare for this sequence of events to provide the best possible support to the team, and what were the main scenarios you planned for before leaving Maranello?
Michele Messina: Adding the race in Malaysia to the calendar made this a particularly demanding triple-header because, in addition to the travel and time zone changes, it involves two weekends in a row having to deal with extreme heat and humidity. The challenge is not just managing a single race, but the overall workload of a particularly busy period in the season. In these conditions, hydration, recovery and the opportunity to give people some respite in air-conditioned environments become crucial. Experience also plays an important role: knowing the local medical facilities and being able to rely on the support of our colleagues in Italy allows us to anticipate potential problems and intervene quickly when necessary. The objective is always the same: to help the entire team perform at their best throughout the race weekend.

In the space of a few weeks, the team has gone from a race almost on European time in Baku, to Malaysia and now Singapore, where the unusual weekend schedule means the teams stick pretty closely to European time despite being in Asia. What are the main challenges from a medical and recovery management perspective?
MM: Each leg of this triple-header has presented different challenges. Baku required a relatively straightforward adjustment, Sepang brought a very significant change in both time zone and environmental conditions, while Singapore is unusual because the weekend schedule keeps much of the team on a routine closer to European time despite being in Asia. For this reason, recovery has to be planned, rather than simply addressed only when fatigue begins to set in. Sleep, exposure to light, nutrition, hydration and physical activity all form part of the strategy. At this stage of the season, fatigue is cumulative: it is not just about how you slept the previous night, but the overall picture of travel, working hours and accumulated recovery over the preceding weeks. Formula 1 is always demanding, and our job is to manage the workload before it can affect wellbeing, concentration and performance.

After so many years working with Scuderia Ferrari HP, what has this experience taught you about managing fatigue, travel and people's performance in the demanding environment that is Formula 1?
MM: One of the most important lessons Formula 1 has taught me is that performance is not just about the drivers. Behind them are hundreds of people who work long hours while maintaining extraordinary levels of concentration and precision. Fatigue is rarely caused by a single factor: it is the result of a combination of travel, sleep, jet lag, heat, nutrition, stress and workload. Over time, I have also learnt how important it is to know the people you work with. Prevention does not simply mean intervening when someone is unwell, but understanding the person in front of you, recognising any warning signs early and helping each individual arrive at the weekend in the best possible condition. Formula 1 is one of the most technologically advanced sports, but the human factor continues to make the difference. Being part of this world fills me with pride.

Sinagpore Grand Prix - Facts and Figures

3. The number of kilos of body weight a driver can lose over the course of the race. Despite being held at night, the heat and, above all, high humidity make Singapore one of the most physically demanding events of the entire season.

60. The temperature in degrees Celsius that the cockpit of a Formula 1 car can reach in the most extreme conditions. The high ambient temperature is compounded by the heat generated by the car and the humidity level, which can exceed 70%.

164. The height in metres of Singapore's highest land point, Bukit Timah Hill. However, this is not the highest point in Singapore, as the three towers of the iconic Marina Bay Sands hotel reach 195 metres, while the city's tallest skyscraper is Guoco Tower, at 290 metres.

1180. The number of corners each driver negotiates over the course of the 62-lap Singapore Grand Prix. The Marina Bay Street Circuit features 19 changes of direction and requires constant concentration, especially so because of the proximity of the walls and the limited run off areas.

2008. The year of the first Singapore Grand Prix to count towards the Formula 1 World Championship. From then until 2023, the Safety Car was required every year: that run came to an end in 2024, when, for the first time the race was held without a single neutralisation.