September 29, 2022
After a two week break, F1 is back for a very exciting double header! This weekend we go to Singapore and next week we go to Japan, both for the first time since COVID hit. Here is everything you need to know for the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix:
Weekend Schedule (in EST):
Practice 1: Friday 9/30, 6:00-7:00 AM
Practice 2: Friday 9/30, 9:00-10:00 AM-PM
Practice 3: Saturday 10/01, 6:00-7:00 AM
Qualifying: Saturday 10/01, 9:00-10:00 AM
Race: Sunday 10/02, 8:00 AM
The Singapore Grand Prix is a night race because of the extreme hot and humid conditions of the country. Even at night, this race is one of the most physical races of the season, with drivers sweating off several kilograms of their body weight during the race. The race is also about two hours long because of the slow nature of the track. The length and conditions mean that cars, teams, and drivers need to have the endurance to make it through the race. To make this easier to achieve and avoid the time change, many teams opt to stay on European time since the race is at night anyway.
This street track, the Marina Bay Street Circuit, has twenty-three corners and fifteen braking points. Turns 18 and 19 are among the most unique on the race calendar, with both corners winding under the grandstand. The track is more technical than fast, with drivers maneuvering their way through the corners while spending only 44% of their lap on full throttle. This track is a fun one, and watching the cars drive through the streets of Singapore at night is a sight to see.
|
The Marina Bay Street Circuit |
Mathematically, it is possible for Max Verstappen to win the Driver’s Championship this weekend. Charles Leclerc, in P2, is 116 points behind Verstappen in the championship and Sergio Perez is 125 points behind Verstappen. With seven races (including Singapore) left in the season and one sprint race in Brazil, there are still 164 points to get, meaning that Leclerc or Perez could potentially still win the championship. However, it is very unlikely that this will happen. If Verstappen wins this race, Leclerc finishes below P8, and Sergio Perez finishes outside the top three, Verstappen will win the championship in Singapore. While it requires a lot of ifs, this result is entirely possible. If the Ferrari becomes unreliable and Perez still hasn’t gotten out of his funk, Verstappen can easily cruise through the race and win the championship in a drama free race. That would be a nice contrast to last year.
Alex Albon had to cut his race weekend in Monza short after being diagnosed with appendicitis and going to the hospital for an appendectomy. Unfortunately, Albon ended up suffering respiratory failure in a post-op complication and spent more time in the hospital than expected. Albon has worked very hard over the past two weeks to recover and get ready for Singapore, but it is unknown if he’ll be able to handle what is one of the most physically taxing races of the season. For now, the plan is for Alex to drive for the team throughout the weekend. However, just as a contingency, Williams has Nyck de Vries on standby.
Haas is optimistic for this one. Their car is better suited to slow-speed tracks, and their upgrades have been providing data that the team expected. Team principal Guenther Steiner said that the team now needs to find the perfect balance set up for the car, and hopefully they’ll be able to maximize the car’s potential at tracks that suit it. The team also has hopes for the weekend because Kevin Magnussen currently holds the track record, and he made that record in a Haas. KMag has a lot of experience at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, having been there six times and set the fastest lap of the race in 2018 and 2019. Mick Schumacher, on the other hand, has never raced in Singapore. Hopefully KMag can give Schumacher some advice on how to master this track.
Aside from the anticipation of Singapore’s return to F1, we have had a lot of developments in the driver’s market over the past two weeks. Starting with good and uncomplicated news, Zhou Guanyu was retained by Alfa Romeo for the 2023 season! Zhou has impressed the team in his rookie season by scoring points on his F1 debut in Bahrain, not getting discouraged by a number of reliability issues the team has experienced, and working well with teammate Valtteri Bottas. Yuki Tsunoda was also confirmed to stay at AlphaTauri for another season! I am very happy for both of them!
My predictions were right! Williams has announced that their relationship with Nicholas Latifi will end with the 2022 season. It doesn’t look like Latifi will be sticking around in F1 for 2023, so I guess we’ll be saying goodbye to him and Vettel (and maybe Ricciardo) at the end of the season.
Here is where everything gets complicated. Williams’ announcement about Latifi means that there are three open seats left for the 2023 season: one at Alpine, one at Haas, and one at Williams.
Alpine:
Alpine needs a teammate for Esteban Ocon after Fernando Alonso made a shock move to Aston Martin over summer break. They have quite a few options. The first is Pierre Gasly. Gasly was previously confirmed as part of AlphaTauri’s 2023 driver lineup. However, Alpine’s interest in getting an all French lineup for the French team means that Gasly now has prospects. I have previously said that AlphaTauri was looking to get Colton Herta as Gasly’s replacement, but he needed an F1 Super License. The FIA ended up turning down Herta’s request for such a license and his chances at F1 for 2023 have disappeared. Gasly will probably end up staying in AlphaTauri unless the team finds a replacement and lets him go. For now, YUKIERRE lives to see another day!
The second option is Mick Schumacher. Some news outlets say he hasn’t done enough at Haas to prove he is worthy of a seat at Alpine, but I beg to differ. While I agree that he still has a lot to learn, I think he could benefit from a bigger and more established team like Alpine. Mick is a good driver, he just needs a little bit of coaching. It would also be very wholesome if Schumacher moves to Alpine because he and Esteban Ocon are good friends. Schumacher is, as F1 says, “Estie’s Bestie”.
There are a few other options: former F1 driver Antonio Giovinazzi, Daniel Ricciardo, F2 and Alpine junior driver Jack Doohan, and Nyck de Vries. Giovinazzi, Doohan, and de Vries all tested the Alpine last week in Hungary so they have a shot. Ricciardo’s chances are slimmer since the Alpine bosses are said to be hesitant about getting Ricciardo because they want young, new talent.
 |
Jack Doohan |
Haas:
Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher are currently teammates at Haas, but Schumacher has not gotten a contract extension from the team yet, leaving one seat at the team open. Haas is in a transitional period right now, where they go from the back of the grid to somewhere in the midfield. It is unlikely for Schumacher to get that extension because the team wants experienced drivers rather than rookies or younger drivers. He has also been outperformed by Kevin Magnussen all season and is set to leave the Ferrari driver program at the end of the season, which is one of the reasons he got the spot at Haas in the first place.
Getting rid of Mick leaves Haas with three main options: Antonio Giovinazzi, Nico Hulkenberg, and Daniel Ricciardo. Giovinazzi seems like a perfect fit with his prior F1 experience and role as a Ferrari reserve driver. Ricciardo could also be a good choice because of his decades of experience in F1. However, I don’t know if Haas has the money to afford Ricciardo so there is a chance he’s off the table. Hulkenberg is very unlikely, but he would be a very ironic choice on Haas’ part because KMag and Hulkenberg used to have a very heated (and comedic) rivalry.
Williams
With Nicholas Latifi out of Williams, Alex Albon needs a teammate for 2023. Nyck de Vries is an obvious choice after his performance in Monza with very little preparation. However, de Vries’ performance impressed many teams and he now has prospects (just like Pierre Gasly). Since de Vries is currently a Mercedes driver, it is likely that he will stay in that world and stick to Williams but we never know. Logan Sargeant and Mick Schumacher are the other options for Latifi’s replacement. Sargeant is an American Williams Junior driver and is currently third in the F2 championship. Although he will make his F1 practice debut at the American Grand Prix later this season, I’m not sure if Williams will want him for the 2023 season. I think he might have to wait just a few more years before he gets to F1. Mick Schumacher could come to Williams if he ends up leaving Haas, but since nothing is confirmed yet, we don’t know if this is even a possibility.
Logan Sargeant |
Honorable Mentions:
Technically, the math adds up for George Russell to be a title contender too! He is 132 points behind Verstappen and with 164 points left in the season, a grace of god could make GEORGEEEEEE the world champion. However, if Verstappen wins this race, George is out of title contention.
Sorry for the long article. My preps aren’t normally this bad, but we had a lot to dissect in the driver’s market. Anyway, I think this race will be fun. We are going back to the streets Singapore for the first time since 2019 and we might see Max Verstappen become a TWO time F1 World Champion!
I will be back after the race!
Happy Race Weekend!
- Divya
Where I got these
from: