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It’s flyaway season again for Formula One as the world championship returns to the Far East and the physically demanding and perennially entertaining Singapore Grand Prix. Be sure to tune in on The Roar from 9:50pm (AEST) for live coverage and lap-by-lap updates of the race.
The original F1 night race sees its fourteenth running this year and has been a calendar mainstay, apart from the two pandemic-affected seasons. Even though the race is run at night, the conditions and humidity still make it the most challenging of the season.
2023 sees some changes to the track layout, that will hopefully see more overtaking on this typically tight street circuit. Four corners in the final sector from last year’s Turn 16 to Turn 19 have been removed – with a straight now going past that waterfront stadium section.
As a result of the circuit length being reduced to 4.9km from 5km, the total lap count for the grand prix has gone from 61 to 62 laps as well. That hasn’t changed the fact that Safety Cars will remain a high probability and variable two-stop strategies will be utilised given Pirelli have the softest compounds on hand here.
Championship leaders Red Bull also have their first opportunity mathematically to go back-to-back in the constructor’s championship this weekend. They’ll need to score a one-two finish and rely on Mercedes to score no points.
Though despite the imperious run of form from the energy drinks giant and reigning world champion Max Verstappen, with 10 wins on the bounce this season – Red Bull after practice looked as if they might have more of a fight on their hands in Singapore.
Neither Verstappen nor 2022 race winner Sergio Perez made it into Q3, with the reigning world champion investigated for three counts of impeding during the session.
This meant a second straight pole position for Carlos Sainz, by a slender 0.072-seconds over George Russell in the Mercedes. 0.005-seconds behind in third was Charles Leclerc, who heads up the second row of the grid with Lando Norris.
Oscar Piastri will have to work his way through the field on a track notoriously hard to pass on, after being caught out on his final flying lap by the nasty shunt by Lance Stroll at the final corner.
Ferrari have admitted they don’t quite have the race pace of the Mercedes and McLaren, though regardless of who it is – can Red Bull’s stranglehold on Formula One be broken here?
Lights out: 10pm (AEST)
Venue: Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore
TV: Fox Sports
Streaming: Kayo Sports
Grid
1. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), 2. George Russell (Mercedes), 3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 4. Lando Norris (McLaren), 5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), 6. Kevin Magnussen (Haas), 7. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), 8. Esteban Ocon (Alpine), 9. Nico Hülkenberg (Haas), 10. Liam Lawson (AlphaTauri), 11. Max Verstappen (Red Bull), 12. Pierre Gasly (Alpine), 13. Sergio Perez (Red Bull), 14. Alexander Albon (Williams), 15. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri), 16. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo), 17. Oscar Piastri (McLaren), 18. Logan Sargeant (Williams), 19. Guanyu Zhou (Alfa Romeo), 20. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
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