Facts About The Singapore Grand Prix
Ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix – here are some facts which you might not know.
Night Race – Facts About The Singapore Grand Prix
The Singapore Grand Prix takes place on the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
With a beautiful backdrop, it’s one of the most popular races on the Formula 1 calendar.
It was the inaugural night race and is the first ever street circuit in Asia for the Formula 1 calendar which adds to the appeal.
– Not forgetting it’s brighter than a stadium with around 1600 lighting projectors which reflect beams in different directions to not affect the drivers as they make their way round the circuit.
Tough Conditions – Facts About The Singapore Grand Prix
The conditions are tough for the Singapore Grand Prix.
It’s a bumpy track considering that it has been resurfaced however it’s also the weather conditions that come in to play over the weekend.
With temperatures reaching over 35 degrees at night (a lot higher in the car) along with a forecast of 86% humidity – it’s a track which takes it’s toll on the drivers.
Having to navigate around more corners than any other circuit on the calendar, concentration has to remain high at all times so it’s not only a physically demanding race but a mentally demanding race too.
There are 23 corners to navigate, 14 of which are left-handers and the remaining 9 are right.
Drivers Lose How Much? – Facts About The Singapore Grand Prix
Drivers lose a lot more during the Singapore Grand Prix than any other circuits on the Formula 1 calendar due to the high-temperatures, humidity and nature of the circuit itself.
Combined with the heat, don’t forget that the drivers are also wearing layers – their fire-proof suit along with their racing suit.
Before jumping into the cockpit ahead of the race, drivers are already sweating!
There’s another 2 hours to go (with temperatures getting warmer as the track develops) and by the end of the race a driver will have lost around 3-4 kgs of weight – sometimes more.
What’s the Magnetic Field – Facts About The Singapore Grand Prix
As we saw with Max Verstappen earlier in Practice 3, there’s an electrical interference which has been seen in previous years too. (Remember Mark Webber?)
As cars approach the Singapore Anderson Bridge, the electro magnetic fields affect the car by either displaying odd numbers on the sensor or worse – shifting the gears unexpectedly.
Now, the teams are doing all they can by placing shields in certain positions to protect vital parts of the car and to avoid this happening in the race.
Safety Car – Facts About The Singapore Grand Prix
Did you know?
There has been a Safety Car in every Singapore Grand Prix.
Now, due to the cars being wider – we’ve seen more drivers ‘kissing‘ the walls and barriers around the circuit so we could be seeing the Safety Car again.
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