Singapore looks beautiful under the lights. The skyline shines, the music is loud and the whole weekend feels like Formula 1 has dressed up for a very expensive party. Then the cars arrive and everybody remembers that Marina Bay is basically a survival test with fireworks.
The Singapore Grand Prix takes place around a 4.927-kilometre street circuit with 19 corners and 62 laps. The cars race through public roads, past concrete walls and around a track that gives drivers almost no quiet moment to breathe. I would say, very glamorous from the outside but absolutely horrible from inside the cockpit.
I think and correct me if i am wrong, Singapore is one of the most physically demanding races on the calendar because the heat and humidity do not care how fit a driver is. Cockpit temperatures can rise above 60°C, and drivers can lose several kilograms during the race. They train in heat, load up on fluids and spend the weekend trying not to turn into a sweaty Formula 1 raisin.
I start feeling tired just reading that. I once became uncomfortable after walking around the supermarket in a slightly warm jacket. I can imagine the driver’s condition the cockpit.
The concentration needed is just as brutal. There are more than 1,100 corners across the full race distance, the circuit is bumpy and the walls remain close enough to punish even the smallest mistake. One lock-up, one missed braking point or one moment of frustration can turn a beautiful evening into a very expensive pile of carbon fibre.
And this year, Singapore is even busier because it is hosting its first F1 Sprint weekend. Friday brings practice and Sprint Qualifying, Saturday has the Sprint and normal qualifying, then the full Grand Prix arrives on Sunday. The drivers are not getting much time to understand the car before the weekend starts demanding serious answers.
I am already tired on their behalf.
I will also be watching George Russell very closely. After his power unit failed while he was fighting for the podium in Malaysia, he arrives in Singapore needing luck, reliability and possibly a small private meeting with the F1 Gods.
Kimi Antonelli leads the championship and will want to recover from his difficult Sepang weekend. Max Verstappen will be waiting nearby, as usual, looking calm enough to make everybody else nervous. Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari could also become dangerous if the car behaves and the strategy department remembers that pit stops are not meant to be surprise quizzes.
That is what makes Singapore so enjoyable for me. It looks like a celebration, but the race itself is tense, physical and completely unforgiving.
The lights come on, the city shines and then 20 drivers spend two hours trying not to touch a wall.
My prediction? I expect Max to finish on the podium because, honestly, he always seems to find a way. I desperately want George Russell up there too after what happened in Malaysia. Kimi could struggle around Singapore’s demanding streets, so I am wishing him luck already. And Lewis Hamilton for pole? It may be a long shot, but it is my article and my rules. Let me dream.
Singapore, I am ready for the glamour, the heat, the Sprint chaos and another emotional argument with my television.
Waiting for the prettiest survival test in Formula 1.
aKi Malik
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