Mika Hakkinen: Singapore Grand Prix preview

Mika’s Tip

I expect both Mercedes and Aston Martin to show a stronger performance in Singapore than in Monza, the high downforce nature of this circuit likely to be good news for both Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso as they continue their fight for 3rd place in the World Championship for Drivers. It’s a fascinating duel between Formula 1’s two oldest drivers, guys with speed, experience and nine World Championship titles between them.

Singapore Memories

We have been coming to Singapore since 2008 and five of the teams have won here.  Red Bull and Mercedes have taken four wins each, Ferrari have won three times, McLaren and Renault once. Of the current drivers, Lewis Hamilton has won here the most, taking the win four times.

Singapore is a really fascinating circuit, a high downforce track which is extremely bumpy, hard on brakes and tyres and one which is really tough on the drivers.  With ambient temperatures of over 30℃ and around 80% humidity, it’s a physically demanding environment which is made worse by the fact that the race time often stretches to the 2 hour maximum.

And they’ve ARRIVED 🤩

We’re so happy to have you here 🫶🏼 Welcome to Singapore! #SingaporeGP #F1nightrace pic.twitter.com/CjaG23fMRe

— SingaporeGP (@F1NightRace) September 14, 2023

Drivers can lose up to 3kgs in sweat during this race, so Singapore is the kind of race I am glad I don’t have to do!  You really get to see who is truly fit over 62 laps in punishing conditions.

This is a circuit with very little room for error, so mistakes mean the car hitting the wall and the Safety Car being deployed.  We have had at least one Safety Car every year we have raced in Singapore.  Another point is that the pit lane time is the highest of any circuit, lasting 25 seconds, and this adds to the complexity facing race team strategists.

One big change for this year is that the circuit has four fewer corners than before, a new straight eliminating the old turns 16 to 19.  This means four less corners to impact on brakes and tyres, and it also means the lap times should be up to 10 seconds faster than before.

Championship Form

Max Verstappen’s dominance means he goes into the weekend as favourite, and he will want to score his first win on the Singapore street circuit.  Team mate Checo Perez won last year and, following the team’s strong 1-2 in Monza, he will want to have another strong weekend to help extend his second placed advantage in the World Championship.

After Ferrari’s low downforce performance saw them take pole position in Monza, I think we will see a change in Singapore as Mercedes and Aston Martin benefit from the high downforce set-up.   Mercedes is focusing all its efforts on a consistent performance from both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell to protect the team’s 2nd place in the teams’ World Championship.

Aston Martin has fallen behind Ferrari in the championship so Fernando Alonso and team mate Lance Stroll have a big fight on their hands with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.  Fernando is massively motivated to get back into a podium position, and with only six points separating him from Lewis in the fight for 3rd place I really think this will be a major story during the remaining eight races of the 2023 season.

Going into this weekend we should also remember that McLaren and Alpine have produced podium finishes this year, while Alex Albon has been one of the surprises of the summer in his Williams.  Scoring points in four of the last seven races, it’s been an impressive improvement from Williams under new boss James Vowles.

Finally Valtteri Bottas scored a World Championship point for Alfa Romeo in Monza and the team is bringing an upgrade to Singapore in the hope of making further progress and overtaking Haas in the World Championship.