Singapore Grand Prix 2015 Preview: Start Time, TV Times, Weather, Schedule, Odds
The Formula One world touches down in Asia this weekend for the 2015 Singapore Grand Prix.
As the only true night race of the season—Bahrain and Abu Dhabi have sunset starts—the annual race around the Marina Bay Street Circuit provides a beautiful and unique spectacle that rivals any sporting event in the world.
The supporting entertainment is up there with the best too. Concerts by Pharrell Williams, Maroon 5 and Bon Jovi headline the weekend's musical offerings, while other musicians, circus acts, magicians, impersonators, mime artists and dancers will keep the crowds occupied between on-track sessions.
Lewis Hamilton heads into the weekend with a commanding 53-point lead over Mercedes team-mate and title rival Nico Rosberg. The reigning world champion is one of only three drivers to have won in Singapore, having taken the chequered flag on two occasions.
Sebastian Vettel leads the way with three victories and Fernando Alonso has two wins to his name—though perhaps he should only have one.
A win for Rosberg in 2015 would help breathe new life into the title race—and he does have a good record around the circuit. On pace alone we can expect nothing less than a straightforward all-Mercedes fight to the flag.
But with strategy-destroying safety cars almost inevitable and rain not out of the question, there's a chance we might see a red car—or maybe even a purple one—taking the chequered flag on Sunday.
Read on for a full preview of the weekend ahead, including a circuit map and detailed guide, TV times, session times, tyre and DRS information, current standings, weather and odds.
Current Drivers' and Constructors' Standings
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Lewis Hamilton has led the drivers' championship since the very first race, and his advantage now stands at 53 points. With 25 points available for a win, Hamilton could fail to finish at the next two grands prix and still be ahead in the title race.
The fight for fourth in the championship is a little closer with Felipe Massa, Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas separated by just six points. Further down the table, the Red Bull duo are having an interesting private battle of their own.
The current top 10 drivers are:
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | 252 |
| 2 | Nico Rosberg | 199 |
| 3 | Sebastian Vettel | 178 |
| 4 | Felipe Massa | 97 |
| 5 | Kimi Raikkonen | 92 |
| 6 | Valtteri Bottas | 91 |
| 7 | Daniil Kvyat | 58 |
| 8 | Daniel Ricciardo | 55 |
| 9 | Romain Grosjean | 38 |
| 10 | Sergio Perez | 33 |
Mercedes were outscored by both Ferrari and Williams at the last race, but their lead was cut by just three points. After 12 races of the 2014 season, they "only" had a 157-point cushion over Red Bull; this year it's 181 points over Ferrari.
Williams strengthened their hold on third in the championship after their best result of the year, while Force India made the most of Lotus losing both cars in the opening laps to jump up to fifth.
The current constructors' standings are:
| 1 | Mercedes | 451 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 270 |
| 3 | Williams | 188 |
| 4 | Red Bull | 113 |
| 5 | Force India | 63 |
| 6 | Lotus | 50 |
| 7 | Toro Rosso | 35 |
| 8 | Sauber | 25 |
| 9 | McLaren | 17 |
| 10 | Manor | 0 |
Data sourced from the official F1 website.
Marina Bay Street Circuit
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The Marina Bay Street Circuit is located beside a bay on the southern edge of the island of Singapore. Most of the track is made up of public roads that existed long before anyone even dreamed of holding a grand prix in the city.
The result is a circuit that isn't to everyone's taste—there isn't much variety so far as corners are concerned, third gear works overtime and passing is often very difficult.
But when the sun sets and the floodlights are turned on, it becomes one of the most beautiful venues in the world. The overload of 90-degree corners can—for many of us—be put to one side.
Turns 1, 2 and 3
A lap begins on one of the few purpose-built sections of track with a fairly short run down to the opening sequence of corners.
The drivers brake from a touch over 300 kilometres an hour and turn into the quite slow left-hander of Turn 1. They allow the car to drift wide over the kerbs of the more open, right-hand Turn 2 before hitting the brakes again for the slow, left-hand hairpin of Turn 3.
The track is wide and open at the exit and everyone gets the power down as early as possible as they head out on to a short straight.
Turns 4 and 5
Turn 4 is a barely there, flat-out left-hander. The drivers then arrive in the very tricky, rightwards-curving braking zone for the slow- to medium-speed Turn 5.
Most take a hefty dose of kerb on the outside at the entry and this, along with the slight curve, can unbalance the car and cost valuable tenths. Errors here in the race will be punished because the corner leads out on to the circuit's longest straight.
Turns 6, 7, 8 and 9
After running as close to the barriers as the driver dares, the cars set off down Raffles Boulevard. Turn 6 comes halfway down the straight—a flat-out right-hander—and speeds of around 315 kilometres an hour are hit before braking begins for the slow, 90-degree left of Turn 7.
This is the best overtaking zone the circuit has to offer and one of the few corners at Singapore with plenty of run-off beyond the exit kerb. If there are any track-limits violations this weekend, they'll probably happen here.
After a few seconds back on the power, it's braking again for the slow, tight right of Turn 8, then a quick squirt of the throttle and more braking for Turn 9. The left-hander has an early apex and a wide, open exit, leading out on to a medium-length straight.
Turn 10, 11, 12 and 13
At the end of the straight, the track narrows and jinks slightly to the right as the drivers brake for the medium-speed left of Turn 10. It's not taken as quickly as it could be, because taking a proper racing line at the exit would severely compromise the entry to the corners that follow.
These have been modified ahead of this year's race. A press release by the organisers referred to the changes as "enhancements," but they appear to have been forced on them by development work to the south-west of the track.
The slow right-hander of Turn 11 will be slightly tighter with a left-hand kink just before the apex, while the left of Turn 12 looks like it will be quicker.
The cars will then travel over the left-side carriageway of the extremely narrow Anderson Bridge, before the track flicks to the right ready for the braking zone of the slow, left-hand hairpin of Turn 13.
A diagram of the changes is available here on the Singapore Grand Prix website.
Turns 14, 15, 16 and 17
Coming out of the hairpin, the drivers jump back on the throttle for a medium-length straight. The slow, tight right-hander of Turn 14 lies at the end.
Overtaking is possible into this braking zone, but a huge pace advantage on the early part of the straight—perhaps provided by much fresher tyres—is needed.
Plenty of kerb is taken at the exit and the cars accelerate into the left-hand kink of Turn 16, braking halfway through in preparation for the chicane (Turns 17 and 18) that follows. It's slow and tight, first right, then left, before the throttle is floored again at the exit.
Turns 18, 19, 20 and 21
After a couple of seconds on the loud pedal, the brakes are again employed to slow the cars for the interesting Turn 18. The corner itself is as dull as tepid dishwater—a slow, 90-degree left—but the drivers go from a wide piece of track to a narrow one, and the close proximity of the barriers leaves zero room for error.
The track passes below the grandstands before the tight, slow right of Turn 19, and there's barely time to hit full throttle before another slow, fiddly chicane appears.
Turn 20 is a slow right-hander, but Turn 21 opens out a lot at the exit, giving the drivers an opportunity to get back on the power nice and early.
Turns 22 and 23
A short straight comes next and the cars stream past the Singapore Flyer before the brakes are again called into action to bleed off some speed for the final corner pair.
Turn 22 is a medium-speed left, and as soon as they're past the apex, the drivers put the power down again. The wide, open left of Turn 23 is more an extension of Turn 22 than a corner in its own right, taken flat-out as the cars exit on to the pit straight.
Seconds later, the lap is done.
Pit Lane
The pit lane entry is on the inside of Turn 22 and the exit feeds into the outside of Turn 2.
Tyres and DRS
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Marina Bay is a temporary street circuit, and, as a result, it gets somewhat dirty over the course of the year.
Thousands of cars, buses, trucks and pedestrians leave the racing surface coated in an invisible but significant layer of grime—a problem that hits all street circuits.
As the weekend progresses, the dirt on the racing line is cleaned up and Pirelli rubber is laid down. This gives a substantial boost in grip levels, but the tyres will never quite have the same "grab" they would at a purpose-built, closed racing facility.
Fortunately, the Singapore track is dominated by low-speed corners that demand relatively little of the tyres in terms of energy loadings. Pirelli can therefore provide the red-marked supersoft and yellow-marked soft tyres—their softest, grippiest compounds.
The tyre company expects a huge pace difference between the two—around two seconds per lap—and this could lead to some interesting strategic choices. Though energy levels are low, the sheer number of corners can result in high wear, mainly to the rears.
Any driver able to save a fresh set of supersofts from qualifying will definitely feel the benefit in the race.
DRS Zones
There will be two DRS zones at the Singapore Grand Prix.
The first will have its detection point at Turn 4. The activation point comes just after the exit of Turn 5 and the zone runs for the length of the main straight, through Turn 6, and ends with braking for Turn 7.
The second zone's detection point is midway between Turns 21 and 22. The zone begins as soon as the cars hit the pit straight and ends with braking for Turn 1.
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Weather
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Singapore has a tropical-rainforest climate. Its position less than 90 miles north of the equator means it has little in the way of seasonal variation so far as temperature is concerned. Average daily highs are a little above 30 degrees all year long.
Of course, this being a night race, daily highs aren't especially relevant—but even at night, Singapore remains very warm. The current forecast is for temperatures of around 27 degrees Celsius for qualifying and the race.
Rainfall is more difficult to predict; though an average September sees rain on half of its days, this often arrives in the form of heavy showers. These are forecast for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but getting the exact timing and location right even a few hours in advance is extremely difficult.
BBC Weather will have the latest as we get closer to the weekend.
It's also worth noting that Singapore has been hit by severe haze in the build-up to the race—shown in the slide image above. It's highly unlikely to have any impact on the race itself, but it may present difficulties to fans in attendance and affect some TV camera views.
The Singapore National Environment Agency is posting regular updates on its website.
Odds
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Lewis Hamilton is the pre-qualifying favourite for the 32nd race in succession. Nico Rosberg has been second-favourite for the same number of grands prix.
The chasing pack have shorter odds than they did at the last race—especially the Red Bulls.
The top 10 favourites are:
| Lewis Hamilton | 4-7 |
| Nico Rosberg | 9-4 |
| Sebastian Vettel | 8-1 |
| Kimi Raikkonen | 16-1 |
| Daniel Ricciardo | 40-1 |
| Daniil Kvyat | 66-1 |
| Felipe Massa | 100-1 |
| Valtteri Bottas | 100-1 |
| Romain Grosjean | 250-1 |
| Carlos Sainz Jr. | 300-1 |
Selected Others
The official F1 website notes the safety car has made an appearance in every Singapore Grand Prix to date. The odds reflect this—it's 1-5 to come out at least once and 7-2 to remain in the pits.
McLaren have long been targeting Singapore as an opportunity to score points, while Lotus will be aiming to bounce back from their Monza disappointment. Given how competitive each team has appeared, their drivers have remarkably similar odds—Romain Grosjean is evens, Fernando Alonso is 6-4, Pastor Maldonado is 7-4 and Jenson Button is 2-1.
And Hamilton has achieved a hat-trick (pole, race win and the fastest lap) three times in 2015, including at the last race. He's 5-2 to do it again in Singapore, with Rosberg 14-1 and Sebastian Vettel 150-1.
All odds sourced from Oddschecker.com and correct at the time of publication.
TV Times and Session Times
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As always, the Singapore Grand Prix weekend will consist of three free practice sessions, qualifying and the race.
The session times are as follows:
| Practice 1 | Friday | 6 p.m. |
| Practice 2 | Friday | 9:30 p.m. |
| Practice 3 | Saturday | 6 p.m. |
| Qualifying | Saturday | 9 p.m. |
| Race | Sunday | 8 p.m. |
All times given are in Singapore local time (SGT, UTC+8). The official Formula One website has a useful tool on its homepage to convert them to your own time zone.
TV Times
In the United Kingdom, live coverage of all sessions will be provided by Sky Sports F1. The programming times are as follows (all times BST):
| Practice 1 | Friday | 11 a.m. | 10:45 a.m. |
| Practice 2 | Friday | 2:30 p.m. | 2:15 p.m. |
| Practice 3 | Saturday | 11 a.m. | 10:45 a.m. |
| Qualifying | Saturday | 2 p.m. | 1 p.m. |
| Race | Sunday | 1 p.m. | 11:30 a.m. |
Free-to-air highlights of qualifying and the race will be shown on the BBC.
In the United States, live coverage is provided by NBC network across NBCSN, CNBC and NBC Sports Live Extra (SLE). The times are as follows (all times EDT):
| Practice 1 | Friday | 6 a.m. | 6 a.m. (SLE) |
| Practice 2 | Friday | 9:30 a.m. | 9:30 a.m. (NBCSN) |
| Practice 3 | Saturday | 6 a.m. | 6 a.m. (SLE) |
| Qualifying | Saturday | 9 a.m. | 8 a.m. (CNBC) |
| Race | Sunday | 8 a.m. | 7:30 am (NBCSN) |
Enjoy the weekend!
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