Formula 1 arrives in Singapore, a Grand Prix that has always given us great excitement and many twists: from the Crashgate scandal, to the 2017 incident, and finally to Carlos Sainz’s triumph from last season.
The Singapore Grand Prix joined the F1 calendar in 2008 and has since delivered thrilling races year after year. Duels, clashes, twists, and rain are all aspects that, combined with the beauty of the Marina Bay circuit, provide a great spectacle for fans.
Singapore GP 2008
The fifteenth round of the 2008 F1 World Championship was the first race for the cars at the Marina Bay circuit. This edition was also the first Grand Prix held at night, with the lighting provided by an Italian company. That season was marked by an intense battle between Ferrari and McLaren for the title, which took a turn towards Woking after this Singapore GP.
The race began favorably for Ferrari, with Felipe Massa managing to hold onto the lead over Hamilton, his direct rival for the title. The event that sparked numerous controversies occurred during the 15th lap: Piquet Jr.’s Renault crashed into the barriers, leading to the deployment of the Safety Car.
A few laps before the incident, teammate Fernando Alonso had already completed his pit stop. With the safety car on track and the pit lane closed, Alonso regained what he had lost. Once the green flag was out, the pit stops began for everyone else, and Alonso moved into the lead, winning the race.
This was the start of the Crashgate scandal, which would involve the entire Renault team.
Singapore GP 2017
We were in the midst of Mercedes’ dominance. The previous year, the Brackley team had triumphed in the race with Nico Rosberg. In 2017, Ferrari seemed finally able to put a spanner in the works for Mercedes, and indeed, they managed to secure pole position with Sebastian Vettel, followed by the two Red Bulls. Lewis Hamilton was only fifth.
The GP started in wet conditions, leading drivers to opt for the Wet and Intermediate compounds. At the lights going out, Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari, starting from fourth, made a better getaway and moved to the left side of the track in an attempt to overtake Max Verstappen.
Max Verstappen’s Red Bull found itself sandwiched between the two Ferrari cars, resulting in contact. Both Kimi Raikkonen and Max Verstappen were out of the race from the first corner. A few laps later, Sebastian Vettel was also forced to retire due to damage from that contact. The race was won by Lewis Hamilton, who went on to win the championship.
Singapore GP 2018
Mercedes’ dominance continued, and on this circuit, Lewis Hamilton showcased his immense talent. Pole position on Saturday with a perfect lap, giving three tenths to the second place. The Grand Prix had no other storylines: a dominant performance from the first to the last lap from the Englishman and his Mercedes, finishing over eight seconds ahead of the rivals.
Singapore GP 2019
In 2019, a miracle happened. Something no one could have imagined on a track that, on paper, would again favor the Stuttgart star. After winning the previous two races, Ferrari also took the Singapore GP with a double that would go down in history for the Prancing Horse. Sebastian Vettel achieved his last victory, ahead of his Maranello teammate Charles Leclerc (who started from pole).
Singapore GP 2023
Finally, we come to last year’s GP, which everyone will remember. Red Bull dominance, arriving in Singapore having won all previous races. From Friday, the Milton Keynes team struggled: they were significantly affected by the bumps of the Marina Bay circuit and did not finish on the podium with any car.
Instead, Ferrari triumphed with Carlos Sainz, delivering a majestic race to the Scuderia fans, keeping four opponents constantly under a second behind.
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