Singapore Grand Prix: F1′s dark night returns

Singapore’s night-time grand prix is an unusual beast – it’s a modern F1 race that is genuinely popular with fans, a 21^st-century classic to many.

I remember my first one for several reasons – I flew there on one of Singapore Airlines’ huge new Airbus A380s (as I write this, the airline has announced it is dumping the superjumbo as bigger is not always better; pay attention, F1) and, gazing out the window before we taxied, couldn’t work out why the tar at Heathrow was so smooth.

Turned out I’d been looking at the vast wing, which filled my entire view, and not the ground.

I also, unwittingly, tried shark fin soup, a foodie delicacy that is wrapped up in a particularly murky and cruel (to shark and human) supply chain. It’s an appalling waste of a shark.

And, thanks to an interview that over-ran, I had to watch qualifying from my hotel room.

I kid you not, it was the best seat in the house: I could see part of the circuit from my room and managed to track down ITV coverage on the telly.

So I watched the action live, with commentary from Steve Rider and co, while I chowed down on room service chips and beer, as aircon took care of the horribly humid atmosphere in Singapore.

Singapore is a street circuit that does F1 well and, while it does throw up surprises (Renault ordering Nelson Piquet Jnr to crash deliberately, in 2008, set the bar quite high in this respect), it is also extremely consistent in some of what it delivers, year after year.

For example…

It’s an F1 race for champions

Sebastian Vettel (pictured) has won here four times. Lewis Hamilton has been on the top step of the podium twice. Fernando Alonso has also been top dog twice (even if a shadow still hangs over his 2008 win in a Renault, thanks to that deliberate crash by his team-mate).

And that’s yer lot. No one else has won here.

So, if we learn anything from Singapore’s F1 history, it’s that Lewis Hamilton certainly has the statistics on his side.

However, last year was one of Vettel’s turns for glory. In fact, it was the last time Ferrari managed any sort of F1 glory, taking pole and victory, as Mercedes had an uncharacteristically rubbish weekend.

It would be surprising, to say the least, if Mercedes failed to improve on last year’s dismal showing but, if they don’t get into that all-important first corner in the lead, they could have their work cut out.

It’s an F1 race for safety cars

The Marina Bay Street Circuit is a long, bumpy affair, designed by a man who liked rulers and set-squares – there are a lot of right-angle corners.

It’s an unforgiving place and you’ll get only 1/7 odds that there will be a safety car.

In actual fact, 1/7 looks pretty generous – since Singapore joined the F1 circus in 2008, the safety car has appeared at every race, whether that’s for a deliberate crash (2008), a regular crash (pretty much every year) or a random loon taking a stroll on the circuit (2015).

Team strategists will be paying particular attention to the opportunities afforded by a safety car this weekend and, from a spectator’s point of view, there’s an excellent chance that the field will be bunched back up by the pace car at least once during the race.

It’s an F1 race for deodorant (and wellies?)

While racing after dark does make the Singapore climate less challenging, it is still brutally hot and sticky for drivers, in a city where humidity often soars into the mid-90s.

However, the weather forecast for this weekend suggests there could be some rain – depending on who you believe, there could be lightning storms or, alternatively, a bit of a damp Saturday morning followed by an overcast race weekend.

This suggests that humidity levels won’t be as tough on the drivers (and spectators). However, this is one of the longest races on the F1 calendar and it is physically draining for even the fittest stars.

Be warned – if there is a downpour, chances are the red flags will come out. Rain storms can be short and heavy here and, under the floodlights, even moderate amounts of rain and spray can make driving conditions extremely difficult.

It’s an F1 race for soft rubber

Most teams are expecting to burn through a lot of the purple-striped ultrasoft tyres this weekend.

Ferrari have chosen a very aggressive tyre strategy, with both cars opting for nine sets of ultrasoft tyres out of their 13 dry-weather tyre total.

Mercedes, who struggled to get heat into their tyres here last year, and Red Bull, who will be anticipating a podium on Sunday, have chosen slightly more conservatively, but still have seven sets of ultrasofts for each car.

Midfield battlers Force India have chosen most conservatively, with only six sets of ultrasofts each and four sets of yellow-striped soft tyres.

While the yellow tyres will be a handicap on this street circuit, they could give Force India a tactical advantage depending on when the safety car puts in an appearance.

Their midfield rivals at Williams Martini have gone with eight sets of ultrasofts, so there’s a fascinating battle of the strategists brewing between these two teams.

One thing’s for sure: the combination of ultrasoft rubber, safety car interruptions and flaky weather means the pit lane should be busy during the race. Hurrah.

If you’ve got a telly in a dark room then, on Sunday, draw the curtains shut, leave the lights off and pretend you’re actually in Singapore. Don’t forget to sort some beer and chips out too… cheers.