Despite not starting on pole at Monza, Max Verstappen cruised to another victory at the Italian Grand Prix, continuing a legendary 2023 run for the Dutch maestro. His team-mate Sergio Perez finished in the second position, which will come as a relief to him as he fights to keep his seat for the 2024 calendar, while Carlos Sainz Jr. completed the podium to bring some joy for Ferrari in their home Grand Prix.
After a short break for the drivers to recuperate, the action now moves out of Europe to Asia with the glitz and glamour of the Singapore Grand Prix. Under the bright lights of Singapore with Marina Bay in the background, will Max Verstappen’s light again shine the brightest?
Or will a new challenger emerge on the street circuit to finally snap Verstappen’s win streak of 10 victories in a row and cut down his 145-point lead at the top of the driver’s championship?
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After sealing a win in Italy, Max Verstappen has now won every race since May 7, 2023. With this historic streak, he has become the first driver in F1’s long history to win 10 races in a row.
Verstappen has truly looked unstoppable during the whole 2023 season and his run will go down in history as one of the most dominant in nature.
With sizzling form and a 145-point lead at the top, it is only a matter of time before Verstappen is sipping champagne to celebrate his third consecutive world championship title. Singapore will give them another opportunity to take one major step toward their goal.
All in all, it was a good race for Red Bull as Sergio Perez also had a good race to finish second. More of these performances till the end of the season will further strengthen his case to retain his seat for 2024.
Ferrari also had a good race, with Carlos Sainz Jr finishing third followed by Charles Leclerc at fourth. The prancing horse though will have to prove that the strong performances at home weren’t a one-off, in what has been a bleak season overall.
The twists and turns of the street circuit in Singapore under the lights will also open up opportunities for other drivers, with the race having a completely different complexion to Monza, with a lot of braking in play and overtaking being extremely difficult.
Street circuits are also unforgiving in nature and one mistake could lead to a driver’s race coming to an end.
Weather forecast
There will be rain in the air in Singapore during the race weekend but not during the sessions and the race itself.
The forecast for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday have all predicted thunderstorms in the afternoon after a cloudy morning but everything should clear up by the evening time when the drivers will take to the track.
Marina Bay Street Circuit
One of the most stunning circuits on the calendar, with the picturesque Marina Bay in the backdrop, the Marina Bay Street Circuit poses one of the biggest challenges for drivers in the calendar year.
Apart from being a street circuit, the Singapore Grand Prix is also a night race, making it an extremely challenging prospect for the drivers.
The track was built in 2008, with the first race happening in the same year itself, Singapore will always go down in history as the first circuit where an F1 night race took place.
The track is 5.063 kilometers long and is extremely demanding, with bumpy corners and humid conditions. There is a lot of braking involved and driving around the circuit can take a physical toll on the drivers, with them losing potentially up to 3 kgs over the course of a full race due to the loss of bodily fluids.
Singapore Grand Prix Schedule
Here is the schedule for the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix:
Friday, September 15
3 pm – 4 pm: Free Practice 1
6:30 pm – 7:30 pm: Free Practice 2
Saturday, September 16
3 pm – 4 pm: Free Practice 3
6:30 pm to 7:30 pm: Qualifying
Sunday, September 17
5:30 pm: Main race
Previous winners at the Marina Bay Street Circuit
Returning to Singapore will bring in good memories for Sergio Perez who won the race in 2022.
Both the 2021 and 2020 editions of the race were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the now-retired Sebastian Vettel winning in 2019 and Lewis Hamilton claiming a victory in 2018.
With major layout changes to the track though especially around turns 16-19, the 2023 edition of the race could well throw in a few major surprises.
Betting tips for the Singapore Grand Prix
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone but Max Verstappen is being heavily backed to clinch a race double of both being the winner and delivering the fastest lap.
After their good performance in Italy, Ferrari are also being favoured by the odds for both of their cars to finish in the top six positions.
With the Singapore Grand Prix being a street race, the potential of the race being red-flagged is also high and is getting decent odds in the market.
Lewis Hamilton’s strong past record in Singapore is also seeing him being favoured by the market for a podium finish.
Below are the most popular bets for the Singapore Grand Prix:
🏆 Max Verstappen to do the Fastest Lap/Winner double (1.80)
🏎️ Both Ferrari cars finished in the top six (2.50)
T🏎️ The Singapore Grand Prix being red-flagged (2.0)
🏆 Lewis Hamilton podium finish (2.75)
