F1 returns to Singapore and the Marina Bay Street Circuit for the first time since 2019

• Toto Talks Singapore
• Fact File: Singapore Grand Prix
• Stat Attack: Singapore and Beyond

Toto Talks Singapore

While we’ve had a longer break than usual from the racing action, the factories have been busy preparing for this season’s final push. Let’s see where that hard work leads us.

Since the start of the year, we’ve been making good progress and it’s been a strong recovery from the team. We need to keep the momentum going, keep learning and extract the maximum we can from every opportunity.

It’s great to be back in Singapore for the first time since 2019. The whole weekend is so unique; remaining on the European schedule, the climate and the track layout. Some aspects of the circuit should suit our car better than some of the recent circuits – but other aspects, like the bumpy surface, might prove challenging. We’ll know for sure when we hit the track on Friday.

Before heading to Singapore, we visited our title partner PETRONAS to announce the extension of our partnership from 2026 onwards. Our commitment to sustainable projects both on and off track in the years to come is a landmark moment for us and strengthens our already close collaboration.

Fact FIle: Singapore Grand Prix

• The night race in Singapore is made possible by 1,600 lighting projectors illuminating the track.
• Because it is a street circuit, track evolution is incredibly high in Singapore. The surface can ramp up by as much as three seconds between first practice on Friday afternoon and Qualifying on Saturday evening.
• All 12 of the previous Singapore Grands Prix have featured at least one Safety Car deployment.
• The concrete used on the Esplanade Bridge is underpinned by steel beams which are magnetised. The magnetic fields involved are strong enough to interfere with certain sensors on the cars, requiring teams to replace a number of sensors with special versions, less susceptible to interference. Fitting magnetic shields to the gear shift valves has become a normal part of Singapore prep but it has previously caused cars to stop on track, particularly in the first years of running in Singapore.
• The Singapore GP is one of the most physically and mentally demanding races of the season, with intense humidity and warm temperatures, alongside being a stop/start track. Drivers can therefore lose around 3kg of weight during the race through sweating alone.
• Fluid loss is also a factor for team members so keeping hydrated is vitally important to ensure peak performance across the weekend. On a hot day, the recommended daily fluid intake ranges from three to five litres.
• The track is very bumpy, which also adds to the stress being put through the drivers and the cars – even more so this year, with the new generation of cars and typically lower ride heights.
• Marina Bay only has a couple of big braking zones, but with 23 corners, the brakes are still put through their paces. The lack of long straights and breaks between turns also put less air through the brakes for cooling, so we have to run the cooling as open as possible.
• The stop/start nature of the track also impacts the tyres because the surface temperatures can never properly cool down. The tarmac is also aggressive on the tyres, increasing wear and degradation.
• F1 works on European time in Singapore so the schedule is very unusual, with breakfast typically at midday, lunch around 6pm and dinner taking place at various times from 1am onwards, depending on the day and workload. Because of the unusual schedule, teams ensure accommodation includes blackout curtains or blinds.
• Singapore has the third longest lap time of the year and it’s the longest race of the season, in terms of total race time. It also has the second-lowest average speed, after Monaco, due to the high number of slow-speed corners and lack of long straights.
• It has the biggest fuel effect of the year, which means the amount of time you lose each lap for every kilogram of extra fuel in the car. This is because of the stop-start nature of the track, as you have to constantly re-accelerate that mass and slow it down.
• The track also has the highest fuel consumption of the year, alongside being one of the toughest for heat rejection (risk of overheating the car, engine, brakes and driver).
• A lap of the Marina Bay track requires 91 gearshifts, the most of any track in F1.

Stat Attack: Singapore and Beyond