Spherical 16 of the 2023 Formulation 1 World Championship takes place this weekend in Southeast Asia with the annual Singapore Grand Prix.

It is a race the place having the quickest automobile is not a major issue for securing the win, that means it is the best spot for a rival to finish Purple Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen’s run of consecutive wins, which at present stands at a report 10. Verstappen has but to win a race in Singapore.

Like Monaco, speeds do not get very excessive as a result of brief straights, tight corners, and bumpy floor of Singapore’s Marina Bay Circuit, a mix that however makes the race one of many trickiest to reach on the best automobile setup. The excessive warmth and humidity additionally make Singapore an actual problem for each automobile and driver, one thing that is not helped by the race’s lengthy two-hour length. To assist towards the warmth, the race is run at night time.

The race this 12 months will characteristic a revised structure because of some building going down within the neighborhood of the road circuit. The a part of the circuit between what was Turns 16-19 will now turn into one lengthy straight, lowering the variety of corners from 23 to 19. Lap instances are anticipated to be about 10 seconds faster as a result of change, which may also outcome within the variety of laps rising from 61 to 62.

Marina Bay Circuit’s revised structure for 2023 Formulation 1 Singapore Grand Prix

Changeable climate may also be a problem in Singapore, with the present forecast calling for rain all through the weekend. The height temperature is predicted to achieve about 88 levels F (31 levels C) in the course of the race.

Pirelli’s tire nominations embrace the softer C3 because the white onerous, C4 because the yellow medium, and C5 because the pink delicate, the identical mixture as final 12 months. Groups must concern themselves with the excessive diploma of observe evolution because the race is held on a road circuit, which incorporates issues comparable to manholes and white strains that may alter grip ranges.

Following some early follow on Friday, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was the quickest, adopted by teammate Carlos Sainz.

Going into Saturday’s qualifying and Sunday’s race, Verstappen leads the 2023 Drivers’ Championship with 364 factors. Fellow Purple Bull driver Sergio Perez is second with 219 factors and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso is third with 170 factors. Within the Constructors’ Championship, Purple Bull leads with 583 factors adopted by Mercedes-Benz AMG in second with 273 factors and Ferrari in third with 228 factors. Final 12 months’s winner in Singapore was Perez driving for Purple Bull.