NEED TO KNOW: The most important facts, stats and trivia ahead of the 2025 Singapore Grand Prix

The Formula 1 paddock heads to the Marina Bay Street Circuit this weekend for Round 18 on the calendar, the Singapore Grand Prix.

Free Practice 1 and Free Practice 2 will take place on Friday, October 3, followed by Free Practice 3 and Qualifying on Saturday, October 4, and the Grand Prix itself on Sunday, October 5.

Vital statistics

• First Grand Prix – 2008
• Track Length – 4.940km
• Lap record – 1m 34.486s, Daniel Ricciardo, RB, 2024
• Most pole positions – Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton (4)
• Most wins – Sebastian Vettel (5)
• Trivia – Due to the physical demands of the climate and circuit, drivers can lose as much as 3kg in body weight over the course of a race in Singapore
• Pole run to Turn 1 braking point – 178 metres
• Overtakes completed in 2024 – 62
• Safety Car probability – 83%*
• Virtual Safety Car probability – 33%*
• Pit stop time loss – 29.1 seconds

*From the last six races in Singapore

The driver’s verdict

Jolyon Palmer, former Renault F1 driver: Marina Bay is a long, complex circuit, and draining as well – a little bit like Monaco – with plenty of bumps. It’s all about the low-speed and having decent turn-in without losing the rear or suffering snaps of oversteer.

There are still 19 corners after the removal of the Turns 16-19 section, which has become a long straight, and towards the end of the lap you’re starting to worry about your rear tyres overheating, particularly if you’ve not been kind to them earlier on.

Braking is particularly tricky at Turn 7, where it’s easy to run wide. The newer Singapore Sling through Turns 10 and 11 is also one of those ones that can lure you into going too deep, often catching drivers out.

Coming over the bridge, where you brake to the right and then turn to the left, induces lock-ups, while a lot of traction events mean you’re spiking rear tyre temperatures – and there’s an emphasis on rear grip here.

A huge amount of concentration is required for this circuit and Grand Prix. You can lose a few kilos of liquid during the race, so hydration is the order of the day. Monaco might be the only venue with a slower average speed, but Singapore can be an absolute slog.

Last five Singapore GP polesitters

• 2024 – Lando Norris (McLaren)
• 2023 – Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
• 2022 – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
• 2019 – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
• 2018 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

Last five Singapore GP winners

• 2024 – Lando Norris (McLaren)
• 2023 – Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
• 2022 – Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
• 2019 – Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
• 2018 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

Tyre and strategy insight

“In this race, thermal stress is the main cause of tyre performance degradation,” reads Pirelli’s weekend preview.

“Medium and hard will clearly be the compounds of choice for the race, but the soft could come into play for any driver wanting to make the most of its extra grip at the start, or if there’s a Safety Car period towards the end of the race.

“Modifications made to the track layout a couple of years ago mean overtaking is a bit easier, although obviously, it is still rather complicated to get past another car.

“Therefore, being able to call on the big performance difference between relatively new softs and mediums or hards that have done many laps, could be a factor to bear in mind.”

Current form

The Drivers’ title fight has taken an interesting turn across the last two race weekends, with Max Verstappen’s run of back-to-back victories seeing him close the gap to championship leader Oscar Piastri down to 69 points with seven rounds remaining.

While the reigning World Champion has admitted that this margin is still “a lot”, McLaren boss Andrea Stella has stated that Verstappen is “definitely” in contention for the crown – and that Piastri and team mate Lando Norris “cannot afford errors”.

Speaking of which, Piastri will be keen to bounce back in Singapore after a rare mistake in Baku saw him crash out on Lap 1, while Norris arrives into the event as the most recent winner at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, having converted pole position at last year’s race into a win.

Can the pair hold off the challenge from Verstappen this time out? The weekend could also see McLaren secure the Teams’ Championship, with only Mercedes and Ferrari still mathematically in with a chance of preventing the Woking-based outfit from doing so.

Behind the top four teams, Williams strengthened their hold on fifth place in the standings thanks to Carlos Sainz’s podium in Azerbaijan. The midfield scrap around them remains incredibly close, however, with Racing Bulls currently holding P6 after Baku brought an impressive double top-10 finish for Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar.

With the Marina Bay Street Circuit known for its demanding nature, a high level of concentration is required from the drivers – meaning that valuable points could be up for grabs should anybody ahead slip up.

Iconic moment

Many a memorable moment has played out under the lights of the Marina Bay Street Circuit since it arrived on the F1 calendar back in 2008, but on this occasion we’re taking a short trip back to 2019 to relive the final victory of Sebastian Vettel’s record-breaking run at the circuit – which also proved to be his last win in Formula 1.

The four-time World Champion had arrived into the weekend off the back of a disappointing performance at the Italian Grand Prix, where a spin saw him cross the line down in P13 while Ferrari team mate Charles Leclerc was victorious.

Leclerc again looked like the favourite in Singapore after clinching pole position, but an early pit stop allowed Vettel to undercut the Monegasque – as well as the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton – and put himself into the lead, a position he held through three Safety Cars en route to the chequered flag.

It was an emotional and long-awaited visit to the top step of the podium for Vettel, marking his first win of the season and adding to his impressive tally of five victories at the track, more than any other driver.

Relive how Vettel’s race-winning strategy played out in the video below.