© Getty ImagesFive Things You Need To Know About Marina BayThings you might not know about the first flyaway
AfterasuccessfulcampaigninEuropetheBullsarenowheadingofftoSingaporeforthefirsttimesince2019.TheMarinaBayStreetCircuitisoneofthenewesttracksoncalendarandwith13podiumstotheTeam’sname,OracleRedbullRacingisthemostsuccessfulteamatthetrack.
The Marina Bay Street Circuit is known for many things, but here are some things you might not know…
2008 saw Singapore host its first World Championship race. It had hosted Formula one races for eight years in the 1960s and 70s, but they weren’t part of the championship. But what put Singapore in the history books was that it was the first race in the sport’s history to be held at night.
To ensure a safe race at night there are 1,600 specifically made lights that need 108,423 metres of cables and a total power requirement of 3,180,000 watts – enough to boil a kettle more than 2,600 times.
Marina Bay Made History In The Dark© Getty Images
As the Marina Bay Track is a street circuit, it can takes five months to set up for the race. This includes building the perimeter fence, light projectors, aluminium trusses, Techpro barriers, concrete barriers, and power cables. It takes two more months to dissemble the circuit after the race has concluded.
Turning The Streets Of Singapore Into A Race Track Takes Time© Getty Images
TheDriversStepOutOfTheirCarAround3kgLighter
There’s a lot for the teams and drivers to deal with at the Singapore Grand Prix. Even though the race is the heart of Asia, the race is at European times (hence the night race), meaning everyone has to adapt. It’s also extremely bumpy due to it being a street circuit, but the hardest thing to deal with for the drivers is the heat and humidity. The average ambient temperature during the race is 30˚C with humidity around 70 percent. This means that the drivers can lose between three and four kilograms in weight during the 61-lap race. Sebastian Vettel’s drink system failed during his victory in 2019 and after the race, the German driver underplayed it by saying he was “quite thirsty” afterwards.
Singapore Is Considered The Most Physically Demanding Race Of The Season© Getty Images
It’sTheLocationOfOneOfTheSport’sBiggestControversies
The inaugural race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in 2008 was won by Renault driver Fernando Alonso, but it was later found out that his teammate Nelson Piquet Jnr. was given team orders to crash his car on lap 14 to cause the Safety Car to be released. As Alonso had pitted early this enabled the Spanish driver to move to the front of the pack as everyone else pitted under the safety car.
Known as ‘crashgate’, it had huge repercussions after Piquet Jnr mentioned that he had been told by the team to crash. The team’s managing director, Flavio Briatore, and its executive director of engineering, Pat Symonds left the team after an investigation and Renault were given a suspended two-year ban from the World Championship.
Briatore was banned from all Formula One events and FIA-sanctioned events indefinitely, whilst Symonds received a five-year ban. Their bans were subsequently overturned by a French court, although they both agreed not to work in Formula One or FIA-sanctioned events for a specified time as part of a later settlement reached with the governing body.
Sunset In Singapore© Getty Images
WinInSingapore,WinTheChampionship
Out of the last nine races in Singapore, the race winner has gone on to win the title seven times. Sebastian Vettel won in 2011, 2012 and 2013 and went on to win the Drivers’ Championship. Lewis then won in 2014 and took the title. He won in 2017 and 2018 as well when he went on to win. Nico Rosberg took the win and the title in 2016. The other two years (2015 and 2019) were won again by Sebastian Vettel, but he was unable to clinch the title.
So, after five wins in a row, could Max make this eight out of the last 10 races?
There's Something Special About Singapore© Getty Images
