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Tyres NorthamptonFormula One's 2022 season begins its final act this weekend with the first of six flyaway races at the Singapore Grand Prix. After not featuring since 2019 due to the pandemic restrictions in the country, the city-state is ready to host F1 once more. The home of the first night Grand Prix will again see its roads shine brightly under the stars as 20 cars tackle the 90-degree turns of the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
Red Bull has always performed well in Singapore, and with how the team is controlling the 2022 season, it'll take some stopping championship leader Max Verstappen from adding another victory to his tally. However, after a summer of racing on classic European circuits during the day, perhaps a nighttime street circuit could stop Verstappen's charge.
Although Singapore is a very different beast from Monaco, the race is still a street circuit. As such, overtaking opportunities are at a premium. DRS and hard braking zones, such as at Turns 1 and 7, can see drivers make moves, but they must commit to making them stick. If not, everything can end in the barriers.
At least one Safety Car period has featured at every Singapore Grand Prix since the city made its F1 debut in 2008. Lap 1 incidents are relatively frequent as the drivers vie for position in the chaos of the first chicane. However, with the walls close by, crashing out is easy to do.
There aren't many high-speed corners at the circuit, so the 2022 regulations that allow cars to follow closer won't make as much of an impact as at tracks like Silverstone and Paul Ricard. So instead, qualifying or a solid strategy will be the key to this Grand Prix.
Pirelli's new tyre compounds are a 2022 introduction that have affected every round of the season, irrespective of street circuit or a dedicated race track. As a result, two-stop strategies have become commonplace, and Singapore could see a multi-stop race for the drivers, too. Especially with the race often running to the two-hour time limit instead of its scheduled 61-lap distance.
Pirelli will provide the teams with the three softest tyres – the C3, C4, and C5 compounds – to help the drivers find grip through the slow-speed corners. It will be three years since any F1 cars last hit the Singapore streets, so track evolution will be high over the weekend. Tyres on regular commuter cars are the only rubber the tarmac has seen in recent times.
With Singapore's location in the tropics, rain is a common threat. However, any wet weather will evaporate from the track due to the high temperatures. Although it's always guaranteed to be hot, the Singapore Grand Prix remains the only night race to have had rain, with the crash-filled start of the 2017 race.
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With Red Bull scoring 13 podiums in 12 visits to the Marina Bay Street Circuit and Verstappen on a five-win streak this year, it's hard to look past Max Verstappen taking the win. Furthermore, Red Bull took victories at every other street circuit in 2022 – the Saudi Arabian, Miami, and Azerbaijan Grands Prix had Verstappen victorious, with Sergio Perez winning at Monaco.
However, qualifying has been Charles Leclerc's strength this year, and another pole position could see him head into Turn 1 in a first place he might keep for the long race. Unfortunately, for Leclerc, or Carlos Sainz in the sister Ferrari, to win, they'll have to hope their team stops the repeated strategic blunders we've seen over this season.
Aside from winning the race, Verstappen could also take his second World Championship in Singapore should Perez and Leclerc suffer a poor weekend. There are a few permutations for this to unfold, with Perez needing to finish off the podium and Leclerc in P9 or lower. But the simplest way of looking at it is if Perez and Leclerc fail to finish and Verstappen wins, Verstappen will be the 2022 champion on Sunday.
It's a night race in Singapore, but the timezone means it's standard early afternoon viewing for the U.K., with the race starting at 1PM on Sunday.
Qualifying – On air: 1PM, Session start: 2PM Saturday 1st October
Race – On air: 11:30PM, Session start: 1PM Sunday 2nd October
Channel 4 will show the highlights of Qualifying at 7:15PM on Saturday and the Grand Prix at 6:30PM on Sunday
Qualifying – 7:15PM Saturday 1st October
Race – 6:30PM Sunday 2nd October
Qualifying & Race – Rain is forecast over the weekend, but this is typical for a country in the tropics where thunderstorms are commonplace. Equally, expect high temperatures in the high 20s and low 30s with humidity repeatedly mentioned during the sessions.