RACE 15

Singapore Grand Prix

Singapore

The Singapore Grand Prix has an unusual early history. Non championship Formula Libre races were held at the Thompson Road Circuit from 1962 to 1973, but races before Singapore's independence in 1966 are now regarded as Malaysian GPs.

So, the history of the Singapore GP officially starts in 1966. Eight races were held, before a long lay off.

In 2008 the event returned, this time as part of the F1 calendar, using a new street circuit at Marina Bay. The event was the first F1 night race, the first F1 visit to a street circuit in Asia, and has become notorious because of Renault's instructions to Nelson Piquet Jr. to deliberately crash his car. Nonetheless, the event has been a regular part of F1 ever since.

Marina Bay

Like many street circuits, Marina Bay is full of tight, right angled corners, with extremely limited run off areas.

It is the slowest F1 track, but with 23 corners, a bumpy track surface, and high temperatures and humidity, it is considered to be one of the most physically challenging.

The circuit is also one of the most dramatic, picked out by the floodlights, framed by the backdrop of the skyscrapers, and criss crossed by motorway flyovers.

Winners

Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton share the honours for the most wins in Singapore with four apiece. Fernando Alonso has two, and Nico Rosberg is the only driver other to win in the F1 era.

Mercedes are the most succesful F1 team at the Singapore GP, with four wins, followed by Red Bull who have three. Ferrari have two F1 wins, and McLaren one.

Crowds

The Singapore GP is very popular. Attendances of around 250,000 put the event in amongst the top five F1 events of the year for crowd numbers.