Racing on a street circuit, under artificial lights, with extremely high humidity and unpredictable weather conditions; all these elements converge in Singapore, pushing drivers to their limits for three days. There’s no room for error. “Because in Singapore, a crash means game over,” says Tom Coronel.
Singapore is synonymous with spectacle. Year in, year out, since the race was added to the calendar in 2008. There hasn’t been a single edition where the safety car wasn’t needed. Nowhere else is the risk of a crash as high as in Singapore. The circuit in this Asian metropolis demands courage, driving skills, endurance, self-confidence, and speed over a single lap.
In 2023, the incident-packed race was won by Carlos Sainz. Interestingly, it’s one of the few Grand Prix on the current F1 calendar that Max Verstappen hasn’t yet won.
‘Assessing the Grip Level’
As an expert on street circuits, Tom Coronel is uniquely qualified to identify the pitfalls in Singapore. “The high difficulty level is mainly in assessing the grip level,” says the driver and F1 analyst.
Understanding the Unpredictability of the Singapore Circuit
Coronel explains, “In 2022, it started raining in Singapore. When the track dries up afterwards, the asphalt has a completely different grip level than when it has been dry all the time, and especially on a street circuit, you as a driver have no margin for error. A street circuit is also always different from the year before, despite the fact that the layout is exactly the same. There are new manhole covers, the asphalt has been renewed in some places, and the temperature is never the same. It could be anything, but on a street circuit, life goes on all year round and you notice that. There is no race on the calendar where the talent of a driver is as decisive for the result as in Singapore. In rain races, you as a driver can sometimes make the difference. In Singapore, you also have that effectively because many things come together.”
Mastering the Circuit: A Driver’s Challenge
For a driver, the challenge is to have a steep learning curve from the first training on Friday throughout the weekend, Coronel suggests. “You cannot slack off for a moment. If you make a mistake once, you carry that handicap with you all weekend. Everything revolves around trust and respect for the track. You have to be one with the circuit and if you make a mistake once, that trust will not return to the level you want. That’s why it’s important to be there from the start. The bottom line in Singapore is this: you have to grab the circuit by the scruff of the neck and pull your car around the corner without making mistakes. And do that for two hours.”
The Marina Bay Street Circuit has 23 turns. The high humidity makes it a real endurance test. “Only when you get out do you realize how heavy it was,” Red Bull driver Sergio Pérez noted in 2022 after his hard-fought triumph.
Singapore’s Challenging Conditions
“You can’t simulate these kinds of conditions, even if you sit in the sauna and do that kind of stuff,” Coronel believes. “I’ve experienced it enough with GT races in Malaysia and Japan. Trust me, it’s completely different. There’s less oxygen in the air. It’s like racing while someone gently has you by the throat and holds on. Singapore grabs you by the throat.”
According to Coronel, the race in Singapore is a jewel on the Formula 1 calendar, because of the glitter and glamour around it, but especially because of the high degree of difficulty. “For a street race, you need to have guts, but here that applies in the superlative. I’ve often driven in the evening and I’ve raced a lot on street circuits, but I’ve never experienced the combination. I would love to check that off.”
