The Singapore Grand Prix has a remarkable place in F1 Grand Prix history as it is the first ever Grand Prix event to be held as a night race under floodlights. This event reserved its spot in the Formula 1 calendar for the first time back in 2008. But with the night race culture that it introduced to the world, it became popular among the F1 community within a short time frame. 

Singapore Grand Prix is not only about racing as this Southeast  Asian country offers a wide range of options for fans to spend their Grand Prix weekend in a great way. The 2024 Singapore Grand Prix is scheduled to be held from the 20th to the 22nd of September in its usual venue, Marina Bay Street Circuit. 

Marina Bay Street Circuit is considered one of the most physically demanding street circuits for drivers due to its bumpy street nature plus humid conditions. Ahead of the 2023 edition, race organisers added some modifications to its layout by adjusting the number of corners from 23 to 19 with the intention of reducing the physical stress on the drivers. However, it is still a big challenge for Formula 1 drivers. On average, drivers lose around 3 kg of body weight after competing in a full race at Marina Bay. 

The current layout of the Marina Bay Street Circuit is 4.94 kilometres long and drivers need to go 62 times around the circuit to cover the entire race distance of 3.06.143. As mentioned earlier, it is composed of 19 challenging corners which test a variety of skills of the drivers. Even though this is a narrow street circuit, Marina Bay Circuit comes with 3 DRS zones, providing the maximum opportunity for overtakes where it is possible within the layout. 

The last year's event was won by the Ferrari driver, Carlos Sainz and the remaining podium spots were clinched by Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton. Lewis Hamilton holds the record for the fastest lap here by completing a lap within 1 minute 35.867 seconds. 

Historically, Sebastian Vettel is the most successful driver here with five victories and Lewis Hamilton is behind him with four victories to his name. 

In this year also, The Singapore Grand Prix will follow the regular F1 Grand Prix format. That means, there will be two practice sessions on the first day. FP1 is scheduled to be held from 17:30 to 18:30. After a break of around two and half hours, FP2 will take place from 21:00 to 22:00. Then on the second day, FP3 will happen again from 17.30 to 18.30, on the same time slot where FP1 is scheduled to be held on the first day. Then drivers get one one-hour time period from 21:00 to 22:00 to participate in the qualifying session to reserve their spot in the starting grid. Like every year, the Grand Prix event will take place as a night race at 20:00 on Sunday. 

In between these Formula 1 sessions, drivers get the opportunity to witness more competitive racing at Marina Bay with F1 Academy and Porsche Carrera Cup Asia championship sessions. 

In parallel with the arrival of the F1 Grand Prix event to this city, huge concerts, VIP night club parties, F1 Grand Prix-themed culinary attractions and also some motor shows are organised allowing the opportunity for fans to spend their spare time here in a different way. 

With the latest modifications done to the circuit, Marina Bay Street Circuit welcomes around 300,000 fans within these three days. Singapore is some kind of compacted city with a limited land area and the arrival of such a large number of people at one time turns this city into extremely busy nature. However, local authorities always come up with a very organised plan during the Grand Prix weekend to avoid any unpleasant experience for the outsiders who visit there. 

In this year also, The Singapore Grand Prix will follow the regular F1 Grand Prix format. That means, there will be two practice sessions on the first day. FP1 is scheduled to be held from 17:30 to 18:30. After a break of around two and half hours, FP2 will take place from 21:00 to 22:00. Then on the second day, FP3 will happen again from 17.30 to 18.30, on the same time slot where FP1 is scheduled to be held on the first day. Then drivers get one one-hour time period from 21:00 to 22:00 to participate in the qualifying session to reserve their spot in the starting grid. Like every year, the Grand Prix event will take place as a night race at 20:00 on Sunday. 

In between these Formula 1 sessions, drivers get the opportunity to witness more competitive racing at Marina Bay with F1 Academy and Porsche Carrera Cup Asia championship sessions.

Apart from these trackside entertainment at Marina Bay, a number of parties are organised across the city. Orchard Road, Clarke Quay, Kampong Gelam, and Sentosa are the main regions of this city where parties are held. 

Orchard Road is famous for entertaining F1 fans with spectacular sound and lighting experience which includes performances from local artists. Apart from parties here, Orchard Road is famous as a great shopping area in the city which offers a wide range of high-end products. In this part of the city, it wouldn’t be a difficult thing for you to find a unique piece of F1 memorabilia to remember your journey to Marina Bay.  

Clarke Quay is famous among visitors as one of the greatest nightlife venues in Singapore. During this F1 Grand Prix weekend in Singapore, you get the opportunity to participate in DJ shows which include performances from world-renowned DJ artists. 

Kampong Gelam is the cultural and heritage district of the city which offers you great exposure to the Singapore Culture. This is the best place in the city to taste different types of local cuisines as you can find plenty of food trucks and restaurants here. During the Grand Prix weekend, Local bands and DJ artists perform here daily. 

Sentosa is one of the main tourist attractions within Singapore which offers you family-friendly fun. Most notably, Sentosa is located away from the busy city centre and it will be a great place to relax your mind during your stay in Singapore. 

In order to celebrate Formula 1’s visit to Marina Bay, local restaurants, bars and nightclubs all over the city offer F1 Grand Prix-themed special menus and exclusive events to the fans. 

Red Bull drivers were able to dominate the entire 2023 championship winning all the events except one. The only event that they failed to record a victory was the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix as their racing setup was never matched with the demands of this bumpy street circuit. But it didn’t have any effect on their championship battle as they won all the remaining 22 races. Max Verstappen was the biggest contributor to this record-breaking season, recording 19 victories out of these 22. 

After such a dominant season, F1 pundits predicted that Red Bull drivers would surely dominate the 2024 season as well. Their predictions were almost correct till the sudden rise of the McLaren and Mercedes teams happened. When coming to the latter part of the first half, McLaren and Mercedes drivers were able to score victories more regularly, challenging Max Verstappen with equally powerful challengers. 

Even though their performances were not consistent, Ferrari drivers were also able to record multiple victories during the first half. That’s why there can be seven different winners within the first half of the 2024 season, making it one of the most competitive seasons in recent history. 

Thanks to the dominant performances in the initial stage of the 2024 season, Max Verstappen still holds the top spot in the drivers’ championship with 295 points. Lando Norris is in second place with 225 points and with the current momentum, he has a good chance of chasing down the Dutchman within the remaining races.

Max Verstappen is the only Red Bull driver who performed regularly as Sergio Perez is showing a significant downfall since the beginning of the 2024 season. That has affected their battle in the constructors’ championship. Red Bull is still at the top with a 30-point lead over the McLaren team and most probably, the Woking-based team will overtake them within the next few races as both of their drivers record points more regularly.