The rest of the F1 grid’s best chance of making a dent in Max Verstappen and Red Bull’s dominance comes this weekend in Singapore.
For one thing, the Marina Bay street circuit is one of only three current F1 circuits available to Verstappen Not won and secondly, rain is expected to be a factor throughout the weekend. That said, only teammate Sergio Perez has managed to keep him from the top step of the podium this season, and he hasn’t done so for more than four months.
As Verstappen continues his march towards an inevitable third consecutive world drivers’ championship, here’s what to know about the Singapore Grand Prix:
Singapore Grand Prix TV/streaming schedule
All Eastern Times
Friday
5:25-6:30: Free Practice 1 (ESPNX, F1 TV Pro)
8:55-10: Free Practice 2 (ESPNX, F1 TV Pro)
Saturday
5:25-6:30: Free Practice 3 (ESPNX, F1 TV Pro)
8:55-10: Qualifying (ESPNX, F1 TV Pro)
Sunday
6.30am-7.55am: Pre-race show (ESPN)
7:55-10: Singapore Grand Prix (ESPN, F1 TV Pro)
Singapore Grand Prix circuit, lap count, tire compounds
Circuit: Marina Bay Circuit (3.07 mile, 19-turn temporary road course) in Singapore
Duration of the race: 62 laps for 190.34 miles
Lap record: N/A (new configuration for 2023)
Tire compounds: C3 (hard), C4 (medium), C5 (soft)
Winner 2022: Sergio Perez, Red Bull-RBPT
New layout of the Marina Bay circuit
Since its debut in 2008, the Marina Bay circuit has seen its layout constantly modified. The first major revision came in time for the 2012 race, which removed the “Singapore Sling”, a tight chicane at Turn 10 that was unpopular with drivers. The second change came in 2015 with reprofiled Turns 11-13, which includes the Anderson Bridge. Now they’ve eliminated four curves that brought cars past a 27,000-seat amphitheater in front of a floating barge that serves as a performance venue.
The change resulted in a lap time improvement of more than seven seconds in a simulator.
The best drivers and the best bets for the Singapore Grand Prix
Verstappen enters the weekend as the heavy favorite as he has all season, this time with a -350 moneyline to win the race, according to BetMGM. Perez, the winner in Singapore a year ago, has the best odds, 8 to 1. Then there are Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton – respectively no. 3 and 4 in the drivers’ standings – and Lando Norris in the resurgent McLaren with a ratio of 18 to 1.
Best odds of winning
Max Verstappen -350
Sergio Perez +800
Fernando Alonso+1800
Lewis Hamilton +1800
Lando Norris +1800
Yahoo Sports’ Nick Bromberg wrote earlier in the week about some bets he likes for Singapore, including a podium for Hamilton (+165) and a top-10 finish for Alpine’s Esteban Ocon (+110).
F1 world drivers’ championship standings
1. Max Verstappen – 364
2. Sergio Perez – 219
3. Fernando Alonso-170
4. Lewis Hamilton-164
5. Carlos Sainz – 117
6. Charles Leclerc – 111
7. George Russel – 109
8. Lando Norris-79
9. Lance Stroll – 47
10. Pierre Gasly – 37
11. Esteban Ocon – 36
12. Oscar Piastri – 36
13. Alexander Albon – 21
14. Nico Hülkenberg – 9
15. Valtteri Bottas – 6
16. Zhou Guanyu-4
17. Yuki Tsunoda-3
18. Kevin Magnussen – 2
19. Logan Sargent – 0
20. Nyck de Vries — 0
21. Daniele Ricciardo – 0
22. Liam Lawson – 0
List of entries for the Singapore Grand Prix
Max Verstappen (1), Red Bull-Honda RBPT
Sergio Perez (11), Red Bull-Honda RBPT
Charles Leclerc (16), Ferrari
Carlos Sainz (55), Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton (44), Mercedes
George Russell (63), Mercedes
Pierre Gasly (10), Alpine-Renault
Esteban Ocon (31), Alpine-Renault
Lando Norris (4), McLaren-Mercedes
Oscar Piastri (81), McLaren-Mercedes
Zhou Guanyu (24), Alfa Romeo-Ferrari
Valtteri Bottas (77), Alfa Romeo-Ferrari
Fernando Alonso (14), Aston Martin-Mercedes
Lance Stroll (18), Aston Martin-Mercedes
Kevin Magnussen (20), Haas-Ferrari
Nico Hülkenberg, (27), Haas-Ferrari
Liam Lawson (40), AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT
Yuki Tsunoda (22), AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT
Logan Sargeant (2), Williams-Mercedes
Alexander Albon (23), Williams-Mercedes
Singapore Grand Prix Weather
It’s monsoon season in Southeast Asia, which means the air is humid, temperatures are high, and the possibility of rain is perpetually likely. The forecast calls for a greater than 51% chance of rain for all three days of track racing, including thunderstorms on race day. Although F1 cars are more than equipped to race in the wet, storms would prevent the cars from leaving the paddock.