F1 Brazilian circuit: Small margins make qualifying challenging, overtaking difficult

The Marina Bay Circuit arrived on the scene only in 2008 as the sport’s first night race. Designed by Herman Tilke and refined by KBR Inc, the circuit is one of the most-physically demanding (drivers can lose up to 3 kilos during a race) with 23 corners, a bumpy street surface and a turn that passes underneath a grandstand.

As if the track’s unique features weren’t enough, the inaugural race had plenty of sparks to keep fans enthused. A crash on Turn 17 saw Renault’s Nelson Piquet Jr spin into the wall, giving teammate Fernando Alonso a chance to climb from 15th to 5th position. Alonso went on to win the race.

Viewers could expect similar excitement this weekend or at least the appearance of the safety car. Singapore holds the unique record of having at least one safety car appearance in every race to date. There have been 18 safety car deployments in 11 races.

While street circuits tend to be tight and twisty with short straights, the Marina Bay layout gives drivers the opportunity to overtake, especially in Turn 7 and Turn 14 after the drivers cross the river on Esplanade Drive.

Going into this weekend, Mercedes will aim to break Charles Leclerc’s winning run. LeClerc, who claimed his first two podium finishes at Spa and Monza (giving Ferrari its first home finish in nine years), may struggle to maintain pace at this circuit. In the past the Italian outfit has struggled with lack of pace at circuits without long straights.

Having won at similar low-speed, high-downforce circuits this season, Mercedes is expected to have a better shot at the podium this weekend. But Red Bull still remains the biggest threat to the Silver Arrows.