01/10/2025
NEWS STORY
For the 18th round of the 2025 World Championship, Formula 1 is about to tackle one of the most colourful and demanding events on the calendar, the Singapore Grand Prix.
Along with the other teams, Scuderia Ferrari HP returns to the Marina Bay Street Circuit, home to the very first race in this category run entirely at night, which makes for a brilliant show with a unique atmosphere and technical challenge.
The track is 4.940 kilometres in length and since 2023, it was made faster by the replacement of the section between turns 16 and 19 with a long straight that provides more overtaking opportunities. Nevertheless, there are still 19 changes of direction, with four DRS zones, the most effective one that sees the not so frequent overtaking moves being between turns 13 and 14. The braking system is put under a lot of stress, with the pedal pushed hard for over 20 seconds per lap. Cooling those brakes, as well as the power unit, requires maximum efficiency from the aero package which is in high downforce configuration here. Even though the track action takes place at night, the air temperature never drops much below the 30 °C mark, with humidity at around 80%.
Pirelli has brought a trio of compounds from the softer end of the range, with the C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium) and C5 (Soft), while the most important element when it comes to deciding the outcome of the race will be Saturday's qualifying. That's because track position is crucial, which is why the one stop strategy is the most common, starting on the Medium before switching to the Hard around lap 30. However, the Safety Car has put in an appearance every year with the exception of 2024 and that means the teams must also prepare for other scenarios. Therefore, having a set of Softs available for the closing stages can create a key opportunity.
Frederic Vasseur: Singapore is always one of the most demanding races of the year, for the drivers and for the whole team on the pit wall and in the garage. The layout of the track, the night-time conditions, and the likely appearance of the Safety Car all combine to make this Grand Prix a real test of concentration and adaptability. This year there is also the added variable of a higher pit lane speed limit, which could influence the strategic choices. As on most street circuits, Qualifying will once again play a decisive role, and we will need to make the most of every session to try and secure the best possible starting positions. Once again, the aim going into the weekend will be to maximise the potential, as we have seen in the past few rounds that small details can make a big difference when it comes to the points you bring home.
Ferrari at the Singapore GP
15 GP Contested - 2008 (F. Massa 13th; K. Raikkonen 15th)
4 (26.67%) Wins
7 (46.67%) Pole positions
2 (13.33%) Fatest laps
11 (24.44%) Podiums
Three questions to Adam Nicholls, Race Strategy Operations
The Singapore GP is one of the trickiest races of the year from a strategic point of view. Which tools do you use, and how do you prepare for the various possible scenarios, considering that Safety Cars and even Red Flags are common at this track?
Adam Nicholls: Singapore is always a challenging race for strategists, and this year the increased pit lane speed limit - from 60 to 80 km/h - adds another variable which may shift the balance between the one and two-stop strategies. Our preparation starts weeks before we even get to the track, building up a model of the race and running thousands of simulations to get an idea of what strategies we are likely to see. We also identify our main uncertainties and simulate these to see how the race might change if some aspects are slightly different, and ensure that our plans are flexible enough that we can adapt if things change unexpectedly. There is of course a very high chance of a Safety Car here - last year was the first ever Singapore Grand Prix not to feature one - so we also use these simulations to understand how the race would change with a Safety Car on any given lap and make sure that we do not expose ourselves to too much risk.
During free practice, how do you balance qualifying preparation, which is crucial on a track like Marina Bay, with the need to gather information on race pace for Sunday?
AN: Qualifying is indeed even more important here than at other tracks due to the difficulty of overtaking. Preparing for qualifying and understanding the Soft C5 tyres will absolutely be the focus during free practice, but like we have seen here in previous years we do expect most teams to do some high fuel runs at the end of FP1 and FP2. This will allow us to gather important information for the race such as the tyre degradation, our competitiveness relative to the other teams, and the effect of the new pit lane speed limit. Another challenge Singapore brings is that it's a night race but FP1 and FP3 are held closer to dusk, meaning the conditions for those sessions are not as representative. This makes FP2 an especially important session for gathering data for both qualifying and the race.
Let's talk about you. How did you come to Scuderia Ferrari HP, and what is it like to represent such an iconic brand?
AN: I joined Ferrari in October 2024 after three years at my previous team in the UK, where I started as a software engineer and later moved into race strategy. The passion here at Ferrari from both colleagues and the fans is unlike anything else in motorsport which makes it a truly special place to work. My childhood bedroom still has the Ferrari posters on the wall to this day, and as a young fan of cars and motor racing I could not even dream that it would be possible to one day contribute to the team's results and history. It is a privilege to work here every day!
Singapore Grand Prix - Facts & Figures
4.5. The millions who visit the Singapore Botanic Gardens each year. This attraction extends over 74 hectares and is free of charge to visit every day. Established in 1822 by Sir Stanford Raffles, it was moved to its current site in 1859 and became a centre for research and cultivation thanks to the botanist, Henry Nicholas Ridley, famous for promoting the exploitation of rubber trees in Asia. Today, it includes themed areas such as the Ginger Garden, but above all the National Orchid Garden, home to over one thousand species and two thousand hybrids, many named after famous figures. The gardens are also home to a rare 6 hectare urban rainforest. Since 2015 it has been deemed a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the only tropical botanical garden recognised in this way.
13. The number of times that Singapore's Changi Airport has been named best airport in the world, picking up the Skytrax World Airports Award, most recently just a few weeks ago. It was highly placed in all categories, coming out on top in two important classifications, best dining and best restrooms. In second place was Qatar's Hamad Airport in Doha, followed by Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan. Highest placed European airport is Paris Charles de Gaulle in seventh place, just a few points ahead of Rome Fiumincino. No US airport made it into the top 20, but North America is represented by Vancouver (13th) while when it comes to Oceania, Melbourne is 15th.
25. The percentage of land reclaimed from the sea in modern-day Singapore. In the past, reclamation was mainly done by using sand as infill, but since 2016 it has adopted the Dutch "polder" method that involves building dykes and then draining the enclosed areas. The government aims to further expand the land by 7 to 8% by 2030. Reclamation also helps preserve historical and cultural sites by reducing the need to build on existing land.
171. The average number of days per year that it rains in Singapore. This is often in the form of heavy thunderstorms, mainly in the afternoon. There is no real dry season, but the heaviest rainfall arrives between November and January, with February and June being the driest months. The city-state's equatorial location and the effect of the southwest and northeast monsoons contribute to the persistent rain, while movement of the tropical rain belt determines the level of rainfall over the course of the year.
900. The number of animals housed in the Singapore Night Safari. Opened in 1994, this park is the first nocturnal zoo in the world and it extends over 35 hectares of forest. It is home to 100 animal species 41% of which are under threat and it welcomes around 1.3 million visitors per year. The park is only open from 7pm to midnight and is divided into six zones which can be explored on foot or by tram. The lighting, designed to replicate moonlight, allows visitors to observe the animals in their natural state.