The Marina Bay street circuit which plays host to the Singapore Grand Prix will lose four corners from its final sector next year when construction work begins on the stadium section of the course.
A revised track map issued by the promoter indicates next year’s edition of the Singapore Grand Prix will run without the sequence between turns 16 and 19 on the 23-turn street circuit. The section runs past a floating platform on the marina before passing under the grandstand at turn 18.The 2023 event will run without the stadium section entirely, with the circuit running from the right-hand hairpin of turn 14, past the left-hand kink of turn 15 before continuing straight until the chicane currently known as turns 21-22. This is due to extensive renovations of the floating platform, which is set to begin in March and is expected to be completed in mid-2026. The construction of the new ‘NS Square’ was originally due to be completed by 2025, but was delayed due to the impact of the pandemic.
Once completed, the grandstand overlooking NS Square will be greatly expanded, with capacity increased to 30,000 seats. Renderings of the planned overhaul by architects Woha indicate that once the construction is complete Formula 1 cars will race past the grandstands and exit underneath them as they did previously.
The revised layout of the Marina Bay circuit will have a significant impact on lap times during the Singapore Grand Prix. The race is notoriously one of the longest of the season, due to the slow average lap speed and the high frequency of Safety Car interventions that regularly push the race towards the maximum two-hour race time. Removing the four corners that navigate the floating platform over the marina will not only reduce lap times around the circuit, but could potentially create more opportunities into the right-hander of turn 20.
The final layout of the section once the new stadium has been constructed has not yet been revealed. Both modifications are subject to approval by the FIA.
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Euro Brun (@eurobrun)
18th October 2022, 7:49
Already I’m gutted that this is only a temporary change!
hunocsi (@hunocsi)
18th October 2022, 8:04
Hopefully they’ll realize that it’s an improvement, not just because it removes 4 painfully slow corners where no action hapoens, but also because it helps to lower lap times and stay under the 2 hour time limit.
Tyler S
18th October 2022, 19:21
I’m going to nitpick here and clarify that lowering lap times alone does not make the race finish in less time, as the number of laps will have to be increased accordingly to keep the race above the required 305Km. What WILL help the new Singapore layout finish in less time is that by removing those corners, which represent a slower section of track, the average race speed will be slightly increased (how much is TBD). The average race speed is what determines what the total race time will be. With the special exception of Monaco, all races are 305Km + a small bit for rounding to the nearest whole lap. So Monza’s super high average speed means it’ll always finish quicker than Singapore, despite their difference in race distance being almost nil.
Coventry Climax
19th October 2022, 12:34
Glad to see someone still has his wits about him.
Everybody always raves about getting the Nordschleife back, yet on the other hand gets excited at circuits being reduced to shorttrack size.
That said, it is to be hoped that when they do reinstate these temporary lost corners, the’ve been revised as well, into a more challenging, options delivering and thus more interesting section.
Christopher Rehn (@chrischrill)
18th October 2022, 8:13
Hi Eurobrun! Go play MF1.
Christopher Rehn (@chrischrill)
18th October 2022, 8:13
The stadium section is a neat little gimmick, but the temporary circuit surely must be better for racing.
If they do return to the “old” current layout, hopefully the new stadium means the track configuration still benefits from some more open space and higher speeds.
Proesterchen (@proesterchen)
18th October 2022, 8:41
Oh no, we might get another overtaking opportunity. Can’t have that. At least not for long.
S
18th October 2022, 9:14
This section of Singapore is pretty similar to where the track goes under the hotel at Abu Dhabi, in effect.
Both tracks would certainly be better without them, but they are the token centrepieces of their respective venues – so they won’t be going away permanently.
Qeki (@qeki)
18th October 2022, 10:15
First the sling and now this. Soon they will temporaly make it a new Monza or Jeddah
Jere (@jerejj)
18th October 2022, 11:19
I thought the configuration change featuring a continuous full-throttle run from T14 to the 4th-to-last corner would be permanent.
I’d be happy if this indeed were the case, as I generally dislike slow-speed corners & especially twisty sections, for which matter, I’d happily alter the Foro Sol portion by having only a single 90-degree left turn.
While lap times will indeed become lower & avg lap speed higher, this doesn’t necessarily mean the two-hour limit could get always avoided, though.
Euro Brun (@eurobrun)
18th October 2022, 13:03
It’ll never be permanent as they want that space for people to sit, else the spectator capacity drops by half (as do the takings!)
Moshambles (@moshambles)
18th October 2022, 11:40
That’s a shocking render
Denis (@denis1304)
18th October 2022, 12:06
Eliminate corner 8 and 14 to make it figure 8 track… I wonder if it would be possible with bridge.
Jere (@jerejj)
18th October 2022, 13:48
@denis1304 I don’t see how your idea could form a figure 8 a la Suzuka.
Denis (@denis1304)
18th October 2022, 14:14
@jerejj Let me paint you a picture. From corner 7 to corner 13 and from corner 9 to corner 15…
Jere (@jerejj)
18th October 2022, 14:44
@denis1304 Now I get this, but impossible unless a small temporary bright got built on the T8-14 meeting point intersection, as otherwise, the portions would directly conflict with each other.
Denis (@denis1304)
18th October 2022, 15:51
@jerejj Yeah, it would be quite an undertaking. Not impossible, but highly unlikely.
Jere (@jerejj)
18th October 2022, 16:03
@denis1304 Indeed
Coventry Climax
19th October 2022, 12:50
Not saying it’s necessarily yours, but why is it that ‘impossible’ is always people’s first reaction?
Lack of imagination? Laziness, as in not wanting to put in an effort to think it through? Or as in not wanting to adapt and so resist to change?
Strangely, the opposite occurs frequently as well: Oh yeah, change! That must be good!
I’d say: Interesting, the closeness of those two corners show an option there. Let’s investigate what the benefits would be -and if indeed there are any- of having that figure 8 lay-out, before killing the idea. Keeping all else the same, it would effectively mean one half of the 8 would be run in the other direction. Some corners would benefit, some wouldn’t, I suppose. Which ones, by how much and which half would benefit the most from that?
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
18th October 2022, 12:34
They could revise the cars and make them 1.5 m shorter and 20 cm narrower.
Euro Brun (@eurobrun)
18th October 2022, 13:01
F1 would sooner engineer pigs that could fly!
Jockey Ewing
18th October 2022, 13:37
Sadly they can not consult with Jaroslav Hašek about doing so.
“… and the same year he was appointed editor of Animal World magazine. Although this work did not last long (he was soon released for publishing articles on imaginary animals he had invented) …” (Wikipedia)
Jockey Ewing
18th October 2022, 13:24
👍When the cars are short enough👍
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKYBu7B66uA&ab_channel=Mrklev
👍
someone or something
18th October 2022, 13:59
What on earth was that at the 13 minutes mark?! Looked a lot like an assassination attempt to me 😲
Didn’t look too overtaking-friendly, either. Even the lapped car was able to defend its track position for almost two laps, despite being some 3 seconds off the pace, before being sent into the barrier.
Jockey Ewing
18th October 2022, 17:30
Well, I have not seen the whole video, so I missed out on the accident or incident.
I just watched the first half, and a bit here and there from the second half, so I have seen a wrecked car after the red flag.
I was just looking for a fairly intense one with onboard, involving shortcars :)
I did not kneow this fromat before yesterday, but for me it seems to be quite amazing, a bit like superkarts, or Formula Fords, although they likely faster than FF. But still, they can drift, go sideways, and reward skills, and they are producing close racing.
As I have read it is a quite spec series from Norway. I guess it is something like club level, or semi pro racing. Dimensions are restricted and engine tuning is not allowed, they are using motorcycle engines, and races are held or tarmac, and on dirt as well. I have seen something like 4 videos about the class yet :)
KaIIe (@kaiie)
18th October 2022, 13:43
Finally! Too bad they’ll have something horrible for the 2026 race. I can already see a combination of the old Singapore Sling, the double hairpin chicane from Indianapolis and the stadium from Mexico being combined to make the worst possible corner combination for F1 cars.
The Dolphins
18th October 2022, 16:31
@willwood I believe that should be “turns 20-21”
The Dolphins
18th October 2022, 16:37
I wonder how this will impact the DRS zones on track. Currently the straight between turns 13-14 is a DRS zone but the new “straight” between turns 14-15-16 might make more sense. (yes, I know, I agree, they should just drop the gimmick entirely but that’s beside the point and won’t happen for ’23 anyway)
bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
19th October 2022, 9:35
Well I for one am up for this – it’s a horrible section of track which offers nothing. I assume this stadium is where the podium celebration will be held? They’re getting like Glastonbury these podiums celebrations. The Mexico lifting the car thing up I think looks a bit naff be me if I’m honest – my favourite is Monza. Such a simple idea, allow fans on to the track and then have the drivers walk over the bridge.
But maybe I’m just getting old.