Singapore Grand Prix: F1 trips the light fantastic

A few years ago, I was interviewing a chef in Singapore on F1 qualifying day and he insisted I try his wagu steaks.

It would be rude not to etc etc.

Not one but two of the biggest bits of high-end meat I’ve ever seen – these were xxx-rated – appeared and, as a result, I was late heading back to watch the qualifying.

It became apparent that me and my wagu-laden belly weren’t going to be able to waddle to where I could get a decent trackside view and so I bolted for my hotel – in Singapore, if you’re lucky, you can see the track from your hotel room.

And that’s how I came to be watching the qualifying live, from my hotel bedroom, with ITV commentary on the telly and the real thing visible down by the harbour.

Oh, and because I’m Scottish, I’d ordered a couple of beers and some chips on room service. Wagu be damned, there’s always room for chips.

Thus, the Singapore Grand Prix holds a special place in my heart, as well as my belly.

Happy anniversary, Singapore

This is the tenth F1 visit to Singapore’s Marina Bay Street Circuit. There’s no contract in place for an 11^th race here yet but it’s hard to imagine this location being binned by the sport.

By day, the track is nothing special, even if the city surroundings are a bit impressive.

But by night, when the racing takes place, it’s a handsome beast of a circuit.

I spent the first hour of the inaugural F1 Singapore Grand Prix, in 2008, just walking around the circuit, drinking in the noise (V8s, thank you very much) and finding all sorts of places to catch a glimpse of the cars under the artificial lighting. It was, as they say, flipping awesome.

That was the year Renault got in hot water for telling Nelson Piquet Jr to crash deliberately, to help team-mate Fernando Alonso win.

Fast-forward to 2017: everyone except Alonso could be told to crash and the Spaniard still wouldn’t win in his hiccuping Honda-powered McLaren.

I like my races like my coffee…

… dark and hot. It may be a night race but the temperature can still be around 30C when the starting lights go out in Singapore.

It’s a tough track for the drivers – this is F1’s longest race and, as well as the humidity and heat, the drivers also have the bumps of a city-centre street circuit to contend with and the ever-present barriers.

And it’s the longest race on the F1 calendar.

Not to mention the particular challenges of racing under artificial lights.

All in all, this is a fantastic challenge for drivers, teams and cars alike, and any weakness will be pounced upon by the Marina Bay track.

Despite the humidity, the race has always been a dry affair, although early forecasts suggested there may be some wet stuff this weekend.

Alluring a prospect as a wet night race may be, it’s not something to hope for here.

Firstly, if you’ve ever experienced rain in this part of the world, you’ll know that it’s professional precipitation. There is simply no way F1 cars can race in such downpours – their tyres will aquaplane and the wooden plank under each car will act like a rudder, albeit a rather recalcitrant rudder.

In addition to that, a wet track under artificial lights is going to be an eye-popping spectacle for spectators but a blinding, dazzling and dangerous place for drivers to navigate.

If it ever does rain during the F1 event, Race Director Charlie Whiting will halt proceedings – as soon as the rain stops, the track will dry out rapidly in the high temperatures anyway.

Safety first, strategy … also first

The teams will be anticipating at least one safety car period. The safety car has been seen so often in Singapore that I’m starting to suspect driver Bernd Mayländer is moonlighting with Uber.

Every driver has a huge pile of Purple ultrasoft tyres for the weekend and I’d expect most to start on them, before switching to red supersofts and hoping for a safety car to give them a free pitstop and a chance to go back on to ultrasofts for the end of the race.

But overtaking is very difficult at Marina Bay and gambling with tyre selection will be tempting, particularly for those further down the grid.

And, of course, the pressure will be on team strategists, particularly as they try to balance the long-lasting nature of this year’s Pirellis with the potential advantages of stopping under a safety car

Who’ll score in Singapore?

Ferrari are hot favourites with almost everyone except the bookmakers. They’ve had Lewis Hamilton as favourite, reflecting that, in fact, not ‘almost everyone’ actually does expect Ferrari to capitalise on a track that should suit their car perfectly.

The long wheelbase Mercedes won’t like Singapore’s excess of 90-degree corners and they’ll struggle in the turbulent air from cars in front… unless someone sticks a Merc on pole, of course.

Last year, Hamilton struggled here and started only third – that’s also where he finished, and those lost points may well have made him champion instead of Nico Rosberg.

So it should be Ferrari’s weekend, but… if Hamilton brings his A-game and Ferrari’s strategists have a brain burp, all bets are off.

Red Bull fans are hopeful that a bit of rain coupled with high-downforce settings will give their lads a chance but, as I said above, rain will bring out the red flags.

Red Bull, Renault and Force India will all be battling for some decent points (and will Lance Stroll have one of those upbeat weekends in the Williams?) and a bit of misfortune at the front (not you again, Kimi?) will open up that third step on the podium, the one that Daniel Ricciardo likes so much.

Red Bull will have a point to prove, after Renault announced that they’ll stop supplying the Bulls with engines at the end of next season, leaving Honda to pick up the pieces. It would also be nice if Max Verstappen gets to the end of the race – his mechanical woes have been never-ending but, even if he does encounter some rare reliability, he’ll have to drive more cautiously than normal in the close confines of the Singapore street circuit.

I’m not sure he knows how to do that, though…

And, of course, Fernando Alonso will have a point to prove too, and he’ll fancy his chances of a top-ten finish at this circuit, if that Honda engine holds out. If not, at least we’ll get yet more withering radio transmissions from the master of misery.

Whatever happens, the Singapore Grand Prix is a great spectacle – grab some beer, fry up some chips and keep your fingers crossed for something special under the street lights.