Race Week in Singapore
Singapore Grand Prix Weekend Warmup:
About the Grand Prix: First held in 2008, the Singapore Grand Prix was the first night race ever in Formula 1. Fernando Alonso and Renault won the 2008 inaugural race. In 2023, the Marina Bay circuit underwent modifications, with multiple corners removed, making the circuit slightly faster and shorter. Sebastian Vettel holds the record for most wins in Singapore, with five race wins. The Singapore GP is notorious for being a hot and humid night race, an unforgiving street circuit consistently delivering an exciting and thrilling race.
About the Circuit: The Marina Bay Street Circuit, with its nineteen corners and a length of 4.940 km (3.070 mi), is renowned for its bright lights and close walls. The race, held in Singapore's tropical climate, is one of the most physically demanding for drivers due to the high humidity and intense heat. The circuit's combination of fast sweeping corners, sharp 90-degree turns, and tricky hairpins makes it a quick, physical race of 62 laps.
Weekend Highlights: As we enter round 18 of the 2024 F1 championship, the season is proving to be one of the most competitive in recent years. McLaren's surge in the constructors championship, taking the lead by twenty points, has flipped the entire season on its head. With the constructors and drivers' championships still up for grabs, every point is crucial. The heat will be high, and the competition will be fierce in Singapore. Brace for an exciting weekend.
MCLAREN has elevated. With Oscar's surprising victory in Baku, McLaren took the lead in the constructor's championship and continued to show dominance even with Lando missing Q2 in qualifying. With the botched qualifying, Lando, starting fifteenth, ended the race in fourth after the Sainz/Perez crash, a testament to the race pace of the McLarens. At this point, a double McLaren podium is not out of the question, almost expected. If McLaren stays locked in, the constructor title is certain, and a glimpse of hope for a driver title could lead McLaren to one of the most impressive seasons in F1's recent history. It's all on the line for McLaren every weekend until the end.
Red Bull should be worried. Red Bull is struggling, currently on a seven-race winless streak, the longest since 2020 (eleven-race win gap). It's about damage control right now for Red Bull; unless major changes happen, McLaren appears to have their hands around the constructor's championship. The goal for Red Bull should be to make sure Max keeps the driver's title, even that is in jeopardy now. If this slide continues to the end of the
Ferrari—(almost) Ferrari almost put together a banger weekend. The chance for a double podium was very high until the late Sainz crash. The incident occurred in the final laps of the race, affecting the outcome for several drivers. Leclerc held onto a second-place podium, which was one positive from the weekend. Ferrari looks fast and after an excellent Singapore GP in '23(1st & 4th), a similar weekend could be expected. Ferrari is in the constructors championship fight, and Charles can still take 2nd in the drivers championship. Ferrari has a lot to fight for this weekend.
Mercedes. Even with George Russell's third-place podium, the weekend still feels underwhelming. After a super-strong European race streak and multiple wins, the feeling of "Mercedes is back" has been building around the team. Baku didn't feel the same; qualifying wasn't quite as strong, and Lewis started from the pit lane after getting new engine parts. It felt like Mercedes was not their strongest. Mercedes qualified well at the '23 Singapore GP (2nd & 5th). Hopefully, the team will find the pace again and can compete for poles and wins/podiums. Mercedes might surprise us this weekend. A Lewis Hamilton win would tie him with Sebastian Vettel for the most wins in Singapore at five wins.
Aston Martin. Perhaps eclipsed by the monumental news of Adrian Newey signing with Aston Martin for next season, Fernando Alonso walked away with a sixth-place finish and a nice chunk of points for the team. Anticipation and excitement are definitely with Aston Martin moving forward; I expect similar efforts for the remaining races of this season. Aston Martin is comfortably in fifth place in the constructors, and Alonso is comfortably in ninth in the driver's title. Lance Stroll is the one with a little more on the line right now in tenth position in the drivers, but just two points ahead of Hulkenberg and Tsunoda; there is still plenty to fight for the Lance.
VCARB is in a slump. I can't put my finger on what's wrong with VCARB at the moment. With some moments of brilliance early and in the middle of the season, the team has been underperforming in the last month. On a three-race pointless streak, the longest of the season, the team can't find the points. With so much drama in the Red Bull Drivers lineup, a strong Singapore finish could be what Yuki or Daniel need to boost them into the second driver's seat at Red Bull for the remainder of the season.
Haas was strong. With Ollie Bearman replacing Kevin Magnussen after a one-race ban, Anticipation was very high for Baku and Haas to deliver. Both Nico and Ollie got into Q2 during qualifying, and Ollie walked away with a tenth-place point finish after the last lap Sainz/Perez crash, with Nico being compromised due to crash debris. Ollie's impressive race is building up Anticipation for his full-time ride with the team next season. Nico and Kevin will be back as teammates in Singapore, and I expect the same Haas we have seen all season, competing for points. Haas can catch VCARB for sixth place in the constructor's championship, just five points behind going into Singapore.
Williams had a weekend to remember. Baku was the best race weekend for Williams since 2021. A double Q3 appearance and a double points race led to ten championship points—the vibes were high in the Williams garage. Franco Colapinto became the first Argentinian driver to reach Q3 in forty years, delivering an eighth-place finish for four points. Williams jumped Alpine in the constructors championship, sitting in eighth place going into Singapore. I expect another weekend of Williams competing for points.
Alpine needs to figure it out quickly. Even with a twelfth-place finish by Pierre Gasly, the weekend was flat by Alpine. After a nineteenth- and twentieth-place starting spot on the grid (Gasly was DSQ'd from qualifying), the expectations for the team going into the race were not very high. After an excellent points streak, Alpine has been on a two-race pointless streak.
Stake-Sauber is not competitive. It appears that Stake-Sauber has almost written this season off. After William's monster point haul in Baku, Sauber's ability to overtake Williams in the constructor's championship is nearly impossible now. Stake-Sauber is about 95% guaranteed to finish last in the constructors championship. I would like to see both drivers finish the season with one point each. It's doubtful, but I would like to see it.
