What makes the Singapore Grand Prix special – and why you should see it

The Singapore Grand Prix is run after dark on closed public roads around Marina Bay, where 19 floodlit corners lined with concrete leave a driver nowhere to hide and little chance to recover.

Singapore has been on the calendar since 2008, when it staged the first night race in F1 history. The layout has been revised since then, but its character has not changed. The walls are close, the humidity barely drops after dark, and a single mistake can swing the result – every race here until 2024 featured at least one Safety Car.

Here is what makes the track such a compelling test, and why the event is such captivating viewing.

Slow corners, cockpit heat and a city skyline

The Marina Bay Street Circuit is laid out on the streets of central Singapore, with a permanent pit complex and the city skyline as its backdrop. Only Monaco, the sport’s best-known street circuit, has a slower average speed.

That low speed is where the work lies. The 19 corners arrive in quick succession over a bumpy surface, bringing repeated spikes of braking g-force and little chance to rest, while the car needs rear grip and traction out of the slow turns without overheating its rear tyres. Cockpit temperatures rise, and a driver can lose as much as 3kg in body weight over a race.

The floodlights and the skyline give the race its look, but the result is settled on track. Over 62 laps a driver takes more than 1,100 corners, and the race rewards whoever can hold their concentration from the first to the last.

When is the next Singapore Grand Prix?

The 2026 Singapore Grand Prix, the 17th round of the season, runs from Friday 9 to Sunday 11 October. It is a Sprint weekend – the first time Singapore has hosted one – so competitive running starts early. The weekend’s only practice session and Sprint Qualifying are held on Friday, the Sprint and Qualifying on Saturday, and the Grand Prix, over 62 laps, on Sunday.

Check out the RACE HUB to see when each F1 session starts in your local time zone, wherever you are in the world.

What happened at the last Singapore Grand Prix?

George Russell converted pole into victory for Mercedes in 2025, finishing clear of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris after leading throughout for his first win at Marina Bay. Oscar Piastri came home fourth, and that was enough for McLaren to seal the 2025 Teams’ Championship with six rounds still to run.

Check out that season’s RACE HUB to catch up on news, reports and highlights from every session.

Why we love the Marina Bay Street Circuit

The Marina Bay Street Circuit measures 4.927km (3.061 miles) and has 19 turns, run over 62 laps on roads that carry ordinary traffic for the rest of the year. The lap threads around the bay and past the pit complex, overlooked by the observation wheel that stands beside it.

As noted, the lap offers little chance to recover, and the bumps and camber changes of a public road are still there beneath the racing surface. Lewis Hamilton holds the lap record at 1m 33.808s, set in 2025. The 2023 revision, made to accommodate redevelopment beside the bay, replaced four corners with a straight of almost 400m – cut the lap from 23 turns to 19 while providing another overtaking opportunity.

Every other week these are roads through a working city. For one weekend a year they are closed for F1 cars, lit from end to end and driven at racing speeds.

There is F1 track action on all three days of the Singapore Grand Prix weekend. The Sprint format brings competitive running forward to Friday, when the weekend’s only practice session is followed by Sprint Qualifying. Saturday carries the Sprint and then Qualifying, which sets the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix.

The circuit park is given over to more than the racing too. Live music runs across stages inside the park between sessions and after the track has gone quiet, with the stages in different zones. The official race website carries the programme and the zone details, both of which change from year to year.

Between the track action and everything built around it, the Singapore Grand Prix weekend fills three days with sport and spectacle.

Memorable moments in Singapore

Formula 1 has raced at Marina Bay since 2008, and more than one of its races has swung a title fight or ended a winning run.

Here is a selection of the moments that stand out.

2017 – Rain before lights out made this the first night race in F1 history to be run in wet conditions. Polesitter Sebastian Vettel and his Ferrari team mate Kimi Raikkonen collided with Verstappen’s Red Bull at the start, and all three were out on the opening lap. Hamilton, starting from the third row of the grid, inherited the lead for Mercedes and won to leave Singapore with his championship lead over Vettel stretched from three points to 28.

2019 – Charles Leclerc led from pole, but Ferrari brought his team mate Vettel in first for fresh tyres, and the earlier stop – known as the undercut – carried Vettel ahead. He won by 2.6 seconds from Leclerc, with Verstappen third, as Ferrari scored their first 1-2 in Singapore. The victory ended a winless run, made Marina Bay the first venue at which Vettel had won five times, and proved to be the last of his 53 Grand Prix wins.

2022 – Heavy rain delayed the start by more than an hour, and the race was ended by the two-hour time limit after 59 laps. Sergio Perez took the lead from polesitter Leclerc into Turn 1 and held off the Ferrari to the flag for Red Bull, and kept the win despite a five-second penalty after the race. Verstappen, who had arrived with a chance of clinching the title, finished seventh.

2023 – Carlos Sainz converted pole into victory for Ferrari – the first race of the season not won by Red Bull, ending Verstappen’s run of 10 straight wins. A Virtual Safety Car late in the race let the Mercedes pair of Russell and Hamilton pit for fresh tyres, and they closed in over the final laps. Sainz deliberately kept Norris within DRS (Drag Reduction System) range, which helped the McLaren hold both Mercedes behind before Russell crashed out at Turn 10 on the last lap, promoting Hamilton to the podium.

How can I watch the Singapore Grand Prix?

If you can make it to Singapore, head to F1 Tickets to secure your place at the circuit. F1 Experiences has a range of premium ticket packages too, getting you closer to Formula 1 than ever before.

If you are watching from elsewhere, you can find details of the broadcaster in your area by clicking here.

You can also follow every session via F1 TV Pro (in selected countries only).