Official 2024 Singapore Grand Prix Thread ***SPOILERS***

[Piginapoke]

After one of the best races I can remember in Baku, we’re in Singapore. Red Bull had a proper nightmare here in 2023 and there’s no reason to think it will be any better this time.

You’d expect Ferrari and McLaren to be setting the pace as it’s a street circuit, but who knows. The conditions (night race) and tarmac (smooth) mean that Singapore is a bit of an outlier.

Interesting to see if McLaren is still willing to favour Norris over Piastri (which seems mad to me but there you go) and if Williams can carry on with its upturn in form. Is it now heading the midfield? Incredible work from the team.

A Norris win for me- he had real pace last weekend but couldn’t show it. Here’s to another great race!

Date(s): Friday 20 September to Sunday 22 September 2024.

UK Broadcast Timings (and track time)

All sessions are live on Sky F1. Channel 4 is showing highlights of Qualifying and the Race.





2023 Highlights:

https://youtu.be/8TmrPvoHSGQ?si=auelcf9pVZ7Pdnxz

Tyres:

Soft compounds C3-C5



2023 Result:

[EmailAddress]

Is Magnusson back?

What a shame.

[PRO5T]

Qualifying here, always spectacular, race-not so much. Last years exciting finish came down to no overtakes and Georgey boy crying in the interview pen. Not his best look.

It’s one of those races that needs something to spice it up, a random safety car or a cloudburst, just not Sebastian Vettel wiping out three of the top four off the start line

Be nice to see one of the leading drivers put down a pole lap in the spirit of Hamiltons 2018 (?) masterpiece, a statement of intent for the remainder of the season.

[Sandpit Steve]

Usually a race that goes totally against the form book, but can’t see a Max Verstappen revival here with that dog of a car he’s been driving recently. Mercedes to go well perhaps?

Shame that Magnussen’s back, and Haas aren’t keeping Bearman for the rest of the season.

[Sandpit Steve]

PRO5T said:

Be nice to see one of the leading drivers put down a pole lap in the spirit of Hamiltons 2018 (?) masterpiece, a statement of intent for the remainder of the season.

It was indeed 2018, a lap reminiscent of what Senna used to do at Monaco all those years ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI3JzYCL3K0

Yes it would be awesome to see one of the top drivers totally attack the circuit like that, somewhere where overtaking is difficult and Saturday’s performance is key to the outcome for the weekend.

[AceRockatansky]

Ferrari normally go well here. Hopefully Lando will come out fighting and keep his cool to keep the championship alive. Max will be down the order here so Landos best chance to close the distance.

[EmailAddress]

AceRockatansky said:

Ferrari normally go well here. Hopefully Lando will come out fighting and keep his cool to keep the championship alive. Max will be down the order here so Landos best chance to close the distance.

Lando needs to take some sort of 'suck-it-up' pill. Instead of wandering around with the wet puppy, woe is me frazzled look.

If he could rekindle the Sainz partnership days' mentality and focus on the now rather than the possibilities.

He's so far from having to worry about the big picture. Just race my dude.

Charles is finally beginning to realise this too and shake the big red pressure.

They'd both be stronger with a bit less chip.

Part of Max' strength is his give a fk attitude. There's levels past that of course but for the here and now, Oscar is working the mentality really well.

[suffolk009]

I think likely another McLaren weekend.

[HocusPocus]

Thanks PiaP

Piastri reminds me of early Danny R with late brave lunges on the brakes and that Monaco win holding up the pack without electrical power. What do the Aussies feed their kids?

Hoping for Hamilton pole with Piastri in P2. Around Singapore that would be fun to watch.

[Diderot]

Thanks PiaP. CLC might just nudge this one.

[axel1990chp]

Voted for Charles here, my gut says Ferrari!

Hoping for a good dogfight for the podium throughout, sure to be some SC intervention here!

Can see George qualifying in the top 3, and I can see him also fluffing it like last year.

[TikTak]

Also feeling a Ferrari here. Triple DRS is going to favour the McLarens and Ferrari's but think that very supple McLaren rear wing will not be as useful with full DRS zones. Probably a good showing from Williams again.

More misery for RBR, the Saubers, Danny Ric and no doubt the clown in the Aston.

[Derek Smith]

Thanks yet again, PiaP. It's very much apppreciated.

HocusPocus said:

Thanks PiaP

Piastri reminds me of early Danny R with late brave lunges on the brakes and that Monaco win holding up the pack without electrical power. What do the Aussies feed their kids?

Hoping for Hamilton pole with Piastri in P2. Around Singapore that would be fun to watch.

Vegemite.

Oddly enough, Norris pulled some equally outrageous overtakes in past seasons; all the more reason to have expected Piastri's pass.

I'll miss this one live as well. I'm out for most of Sunday. Mind you, I reckon if I miss a race, something that didn't happen when there were 16 - 18 a season, it is always a cracker. I'm not a great fan of having so many races each season. Perhaps it's my age, but I can remember exciting incidents, but can't recollect the circuits they occurred in.

Not sure Hamilton has the car under him for a pole. GR maybe, but unlikely. Often, a newbie who wins one race frequently messes up the following one, but I reckon Piastri might well buck that trend.

Here's hoping for another great race. I watched Baku again. I find it remarkable how Piastri managed to keep the Ferrari, which was just as fast, behind him. CLC had cooked his tyres and it was probable Sainz and Perez would have passed had not they . . . well, let's not go there. Which was good advice to Sainz.

[BrettMRC]

Thanks again for the thread Mr Poke!

I think it will be four teams in the top 4 for qualifying.

As for the race... Ferrari haven't dropped a strategic testicle for awhile, so I'm going for them to screw up a certain win, gifting it to Mercedes with McLaren 2nd and 3rd.

[ucb]

LeClerc looks to be in form and I think the track will suit the Ferrari and Mercedes more than the last 2 outings

[PhilAsia]

Thanks PiaP!!

Baku was a good race. Let's trust this one is too...

I would like to see a huge cache of points for Norris here, with Max fighting for 11th. Just to keep the interest going in the WDC.

[EmailAddress]

PhilAsia said:

Thanks PiaP!!

Baku was a good race. Let's trust this one is too...

I would like to see a huge cache of points for Norris here, with Max fighting for 11th. Just to keep the interest going in the WDC.

Just message the stewards your order.

[mk1coopers]

Thanks for the thread PiaP, hoping for a good showing from Norris to keep the championship gap coming down.

[Crudeoink]

Thanks PiaP ! Very jealous to whoever is attending this one, I've always wanted to watch the race in person here, but the frankly PITA restriction of F1 factory shutdowns (2 weeks in August and 1 week at Christmas) means there isn't realistically enough free leave to visit somewhere like SIngapore for the race

Also can we take a minute to appreciate how these polls have changed over the year. We started voting on who we thought would take 2nd as Max was a guaranteed 1st place! I've gone Norris for this one, he needs a win as I've got a bet on with a mate that Norris will beat Max for the WDC

[Sandpit Steve]

Crudeoink said:

Thanks PiaP ! Very jealous to whoever is attending this one, I've always wanted to watch the race in person here, but the frankly PITA restriction of F1 factory shutdowns (2 weeks in August and 1 week at Christmas) means there isn't realistically enough free leave to visit somewhere like SIngapore for the race

Also can we take a minute to appreciate how these polls have changed over the year. We started voting on who we thought would take 2nd as Max was a guaranteed 1st place! I've gone Norris for this one, he needs a win as I've got a bet on with a mate that Norris will beat Max for the WDC

I went to Singapore in 2013, last year of the old V8 cars. The noise as they went around was fantastic.

To anyone who hasn’t been, it’s a brilliant event, right in the middle of the city, there’s thousands of hotel rooms with track views and loads of ticket types available, as well as constant off-track entertainment, including things like the big wheel which is free for ticket holders. There’s also some fun oddities that come from a street circuit as well, like the little corner shop off licence that was selling beers for $1 a can when they were $10 everywhere else

The whole city comes alive in the days leading up to the race, loads of F1-related events and marketing ‘activations’. I hung around for a few days afterwards, to explore the city and stay in the nice hotels that were way out of my price range a few days earlier!

One of my favourite cities in the world to have visited. Definitely a bucket-list event to go to.

A month after that holiday, I met who would go on to become Mrs Sandpit, and haven’t been back to Singapore since!