The start of the Singapore Grand Prix signals the winding down of the 2010 Formula 1 season, with five races left on the calendar. The Asian leg of the tour starts at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. The only race on the Formula 1 calendar to hold it's events at night, Marina Bay presents some unique challenges. To most of the drivers, the street circuit is more demanding on brakes and the physical limits of the drivers and changes had to be made to the circuit in previous years due to the unusually large kerbs and bumpy roads. On top of these already daunting challenges, there is a chance of heavy rain for this weekends race. Coupled with the fact that the entire circuit is lit up with floodlights (with some sections brighter than daylight), some drivers are nervous about how rain can affect not only their performance, but also their visibility on a track where mistakes can be extremely costly.
For Sauber, this is the race where Nick Heidfeld will take over Pedro de la Rosa's seat. After being disqualified last year for having a lighter than allowed car, Heidfeld will be looking to produce results against Kobayashi, who has already proven himself worthy of a guaranteed seat in next years Sauber.
An agreement for a five-year deal was signed by Singapore GP Pte Ltd, the Singapore Tourism Board and Bernie Ecclestone. In November 2007 it was announced that the telecommunications company Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) would sponsor the event. The official name of the event will be the FORMULA 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix. The race was co-funded by the Government of Singapore, footing 60% of the total bill, or $90 million SGD, out of a total tab of $150 million SGD.
Around 110,000 tickets were made available for the country's first Formula One race. Corporate hospitality suites and packages went on sale at the end November 2007, three-day passes to the public went on sale in February 2008. Single-day passes went on sale a month later. The event went on to achieve a full sell-out for all of its tickets.
The first race held at the new Marina Bay Street Circuit was the 15th round of the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship, and was also the first night-time event Formula One history. The timing of the night event meant that it could be broadcast live at a convenient time for European TV audiences. The track was also illuminated by a series of projectors which adapt their output to match the shape of the course. The race was won by Fernando Alonso driving for the Renault team, however that result has since been tarnished by controversy.
For the 2009 race, the circuit was reprofiled slightly, including modifications to turns 1, 2 and 3 to aid overtaking, and also at turn 10 where high curbs caused many accidents in 2008.
After winning the 2006 Italian Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher announced his retirement from Formula 1 racing at the end of the 2006 season. Kimi Räikkönen replaced him at Ferrari from the start of the 2007 season. At the 2008 Italian Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel became the youngest driver in history to win a Formula One Grand Prix. Aged 21 years and 74 days, Vettel broke the record set by Fernando Alonso at the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix by 317 days as he won in wet conditions at Monza. Vettel led for the majority of the Grand Prix and crossed the finish line 12.5 seconds ahead of McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen. Earlier in the weekend, he had already become the youngest polesitter, after setting the fastest times in both Q2 and Q3 qualifying stages. His win also gave him the record of youngest podium-finisher. Uncertainty grew over the fact that Monza would continue to host the race as Rome had signed a deal to host Formula One from 2012. On 18 March 2010 however, Bernie Ecclestone and the Monza track managers signed a deal which meant that the race will be held there until at least 2016.
The Italian Grand Prix in recent years has been labeled as a jinx to the winning driver. Over the past two decades, only Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher have won the Italian Grand Prix and gone on to win the world championship in the same year. The last year that the winner of the Italian Grand Prix won the world championship is 2003.
Onboard Lap
Onboard lap of the Marina Bay Street Circuit courtesy of Red Bull-Renault driver Sebastien Vettel.
Take a closer look here.
Fastest Lap
Fernando Alonso - Renault - 1:48.240
Most Wins
Lewis Hamilton & Fernando Alonso - 1 (Tie)
Most Wins for Constructor
McLaren-Mercedes & Renault - 1 (Tie)
Highlights from Previous Years
Highlights from 2008 Singapore GP
Previous Winners
Drivers Championship Standings
Constructors Championship Standings
NeoGAF Championship Standings
Last Minute News
Singapore Preview Quotes
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Exclusive Nick Heidfeld Q & A: I feel honoured to be back
De la Rosa to join Pirelli development programme
