The best chance for the rest of the F1 grid to put a dent in Max Verstappen and Red Bull’s dominance comes this weekend in Singapore.
For one, the Marina Bay street circuit is one of just three current F1 circuits Verstappen has not won at, and for another rain is expected to be a factor all weekend. That said, only teammate Sergio Perez has been able to keep him off the top spot of the podium this season, and he hasn’t done that in more than four months.
As Verstappen continues his march to an inevitable third consecutive world drivers’ championship, here’s what to know about the Singapore Grand Prix:
Singapore Grand Prix TV/streaming schedule
All times Eastern
Friday
5:25-6:30 a.m.: Free practice 1 (ESPNX, F1 TV Pro)
8:55-10 a.m.: Free practice 2 (ESPNX, F1 TV Pro)
Saturday
5:25-6:30 a.m.: Free practice 3 (ESPNX, F1 TV Pro)
8:55-10 a.m.: Qualifying (ESPNX, F1 TV Pro)
Sunday
6:30-7:55 a.m.: Pre-race show (ESPN)
7:55-10 a.m.: Singapore Grand Prix (ESPN, F1 TV Pro)
Singapore Grand Prix circuit, lap count, tire compounds
Circuit: Marina Bay Circuit (3.07-mile, 19-turn temporary street course) in Singapore
Race length: 62 laps for 190.34 miles
Lap record: N/A (new configuration for 2023)
Tire compounds: C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium), C5 (Soft)
2022 winner: Sergio Perez, Red Bull-RBPT
New Marina Bay circuit layout
Since its debut in 2008 the Marina Bay circuit has seen its layout consistently tinkered with. The first major revision came in time for the 2012 race, which removed the ‘Singapore Sling’ – a tight chicane at Turn 10 that was unpopular among drivers. The second alteration came in 2015 with re-profiled corners 11-13, which includes the Anderson Bridge. Now they have eliminated four corners that used to take the cars in front of a 27,000-seat amphitheater facing a floating barge that serves as a performance venue.
The change has resulted in a more than seven-second lap time improvement in a simulator.
Top drivers and best bets for the Singapore Grand Prix
Verstappen enters the weekend as the massive favorite as he has all season, this time around with a -350 moneyline for the race win, according to BetMGM. Perez, the winner at Singapore a year ago, has the next best odds at 8-to-1. Next up are Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton – Nos. 3-4 in the drivers’ standings, respectively – and Lando Norris in the resurgent McLaren at 18-to-1.
Best odds to win
Max Verstappen -350
Sergio Perez +800
Fernando Alonso +1800
Lewis Hamilton +1800
Lando Norris +1800
Yahoo Sports’ Nick Bromberg wrote earlier in the week on some bets he likes for Singapore, including a podium for Hamilton (+165) and a top-10 finish for Alpine’s Esteban Ocon (+110).
F1 world drivers’ championship standings
1. Max Verstappen – 364
2. Sergio Perez – 219
3. Fernando Alonso – 170
4. Lewis Hamilton – 164
5. Carlos Sainz – 117
6. Charles Leclerc – 111
7. George Russell – 109
8. Lando Norris – 79
9. Lance Stroll – 47
10. Pierre Gasly – 37
11. Esteban Ocon – 36
12. Oscar Piastri – 36
13. Alexander Albon – 21
14. Nico Hülkenberg – 9
15. Valtteri Bottas – 6
16. Zhou Guanyu – 4
17. Yuki Tsunoda – 3
18. Kevin Magnussen – 2
19. Logan Sargent – 0
20. Nyck de Vries — 0
21. Daniel Ricciardo – 0
22. Liam Lawson – 0
Singapore Grand Prix entry list
Max Verstappen (1), Red Bull-Honda RBPT
Sergio Perez (11), Red Bull-Honda RBPT
Charles Leclerc (16), Ferrari
Carlos Sainz (55), Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton (44), Mercedes
George Russell (63), Mercedes
Pierre Gasly (10), Alpine-Renault
Esteban Ocon (31), Alpine-Renault
Lando Norris (4), McLaren-Mercedes
Oscar Piastri (81), McLaren-Mercedes
Zhou Guanyu (24), Alfa Romeo-Ferrari
Valtteri Bottas (77), Alfa Romeo-Ferrari
Fernando Alonso (14), Aston Martin-Mercedes
Lance Stroll (18), Aston Martin-Mercedes
Kevin Magnussen (20), Haas-Ferrari
Nico Hülkenberg, (27), Haas-Ferrari
Liam Lawson (40), AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT
Yuki Tsunoda (22), AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT
Logan Sargeant (2), Williams-Mercedes
Alexander Albon (23), Williams-Mercedes
Singapore Grand Prix weather
It’s monsoon season in southeast Asia which means the air is wet, the temperatures are high and the chance of rain is perpetually likely. The forecast calls for more than a 51% chance of rain for all three days of on-track running including thunderstorms on race day. While F1 cars are more than equipped to run in the wet, thunderstorms would preempt the cars coming out of the paddock.