The Singapore Grand Prix will not be one to miss this weekend as F1 predicts a 100% likelihood of a full safety car, based on the last sixteen races at the track! The high-stakes street circuit promises rapid pace and sharp turns under a hot and humid climate, throwing a fun air of unpredictability into the weekend and the official F1 website has placed its bets on an incident occurring somewhere in the 62 laps around Marina Bay. This would be the first full safety car used this season since Canada, a whole eight races ago!
Now, this doesn't necessarily guarantee a crash (and it's not something we ever want to hope for because safety is the primary goal of all the drivers). However, it's a crazy statistic to have had a safety car deployment at every Singapore race since its inception in 2008. Be it a mechanical failure, driver error, racing incident, or weather, it does seem likely that we can expect a return from the car we've gotten quite used to not seeing on track.
But considering the high probability of someone ending up in the wall, it may be surprising that almost half the grid have put a little extra effort into their cars this weekend, unveiling special liveries to match the glitz and glam of the famed street circuit.
Visa Cash App RB has potentially caused the biggest stir with its denim-themed livery (confusing but also giving chic Y2K vibes) but McLaren and Mercedes have also all jumped on the trend with unique liveries for the Singapore Grand Prix, McLaren fielding a livery inspired by their iconic MP4 car, and Mercedes going full Petronas green to celebrate 50 years of their sponsor - and looking very much like an Aston Martin in the process!
Red Bull were supposed to field a special livery around the streets of Singapore, but abandoned their ideas due to weight concerns with the bodywork. However, their F1 Academy driver Hamda Alqubasi will be driving a stunning camouflage inspired 'Camo Bull' livery as the all-female series takes to the Marina Bay track for the first time this weekend.
So what else can we expect to see outside of some questionable design choices?
Well, for starters, Red Bull hasn't taken pole at this track since 2013 with Sebastian Vettel and they have only counted one more win in those 11 years with Sergio Perez's 2022 victory. They have notoriously struggled with adapting their set-up to suit the Singapore circuit and last year was the only non-Red Bull win of the season, with Ferrari's Carlos Sainz taking the victory.
Will we see the same again this year?
Red Bull has been in a bit of a tailspin since the summer break, finally ceding the Constructor's Championship lead to McLaren. With Norris taking a podium here last year, plus the current pace of their car, we could have a dominant McLaren weekend on our hands. The individual point gap between Max and Lando is closing but not as quickly as some fans might have hoped for. This track could be a great chance for Lando to close that gap a little further and ramp up the pressure on the current World Champion.
But perhaps a more relevant question right now is actually whether Lando can take it to teammate Oscar Piastri this weekend. The younger driver is coming off a win in Baku so could we see some Papaya Rules making a comeback?
In other news, Kevin Magnussen has served his race ban and emerged with a clean driving sheet so all drivers in the mid-field and below should beware! Haas had a great weekend in Baku with Ollie Bearman securing a point and Nico Hulkenburg finishing strong in P11 after picking up some damage. They'll be looking to grow their points this weekend to close the gap to VCARB so we could see KMag unleash some familiar tactics to help Hulkenburg over the line.
And of course, we're keeping our eyes out for news on the last few outstanding seats. Pressure seems to be continuously ramping up for Daniel Ricciardo over his future with VCARB and with Lawson looming in the background, we'll all be watching with baited breath to see how Ricciardo performs this weekend and who can secure that seat.
So with special liveries, risky tactics, title fights, teammate rivalries, inclement weather and a near-guarantee of some incidents all on the cards, we're set for a great weekend in Singapore!
What do you think will bring out the safety car this year?
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