George Russell will take another power unit penalty this weekend. Here are eight talking points for the Singapore Grand Prix.
Russell’s penalty blow
Azerbaijan gave George Russell a glimmer of hope that he might get back into the championship fight. He took pole and withstood everything Max Verstappen could throw at him, taking a 15-point bite out of his team mate’s championship lead.With a few more weekends like that he could seriously think about getting back into contention. But that hope died in Malaysia (or, if you’re a Sky commentator, ‘Bahrain’). Russell was already running behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli when his power unit died.
F1’s rules mean Russell takes a double blow from the retirement as he will need to fit a new power unit this weekend, as Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff confirmed. “George has the added challenge of a power unit penalty, which will mean starting from the back of the grid on Sunday, following the engine failure in Malaysia,” he said. “That is particularly frustrating given the way he drove last weekend and the result he deserved to be fighting for.”
Mercedes’ leap backwards?
Both Mercedes drivers had to contend with another problem last weekend: the team’s much-vaunted upgrade for its W17 did not produce the desired step forwards. Indeed, as Antonelli observed, it might have made them slower.
And getting to the bottom of their problems this weekend will be especially challenging as teams only have a single practice session.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Last sprint race
Singapore will hold the last sprint race of the season this weekend. It’s a curious choice of venue given that F1 previously said it intended to hold sprint events at tracks where overtaking is less difficult. Few would argue that description applies to the Marina Bay circuit.
But as the grimly processional last sprint race in Zandvoort showed, whether the ‘racing’ is actually good is not a consideration: F1 has decided there will be more of them.
Verstappen’s overdue win
Briefly, Marina Bay in Singapore was the only venue on the Formula 1 calendar which Verstappen had never won at. That is no longer the case, but it remains the track where he has made the most starts without winning.
That could change this weekend thanks to Red Bull’s resurgence in form. Verstappen won in Sepang (not to be confused with BIC) and came close to victory in Baku. After three podiums and second places in the last two editions of this race, his 10th appearance could be his best chance yet to win it.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Red Bull to pass McLaren?
Are Red Bull now the greatest threat to Mercedes? Or is this merely their turn to play a temporary role as the championship leaders’ token opposition, only to fade later as Ferrari and McLaren did?
Air quality
Not for the first time in Singapore, attendees are being warned about poor air quality in the run-up to the race. As was also the case in 2019, the cause is smoke drifting across from wildfires in nearby Indonesia.
The particularly hot conditions in parts of the world this year due to the increased intensity of the El Nino weather system have contributed. Singapore’s National Environment Agency gave a 24-hour Pollution Standards Index forecast “in the High Moderate to Mid Unhealthy range.” on Tuesday.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Patch Sunday?
Formula 1 faced ridicule over the farcical scenes which preceded Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, when multiple drivers suffered a near-total loss of power due to an FIA systems problem. All the Ferrari-powered cars were affected as were both of the Audis and some of the Red Bull-Ford cars, including that of pole-winner Verstappen.
The FIA confirms the problem was caused by F1 cars encountering wet conditions. The series may have been incredibly fortunate the cars were already running behind the Safety Car, instead of encountering rain during racing conditions, when multiple cars stopping on-tack would have presented an obvious hazard.
Last race on this layout?
This will be the fourth Singapore Grand Prix on the current track layout which bypasses the former turns 16 to 19 – scene of the infamous ‘Crashgate’ episode. This was done due to the construction of the new NS Square facility on the waterfront (below).
That construction was originally supposed to be completed during 2025, but was delayed, and a new target date of 2027 set. F1 drivers may experience a new variant of the Singapore track when they return next year, though whether it changes the venue for the better remains to be seen.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Are you going to the Singapore Grand Prix?
If you’re heading to Singapore for this weekend’s race, we want to hear from you:
Who do you think will be the team to beat in the Singapore Grand Prix? Have your say below.