Singapore Grand Prix
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Marina Bay Street Circuit | |
 |
|
| Race information | |
| Laps | 61 |
|---|---|
| Circuit length | 5.067 km (3.148 mi) |
| Race length | 309.087 km (192.066 mi) |
| Number of times held | 10 |
| First held | 1966 |
| Most wins (drivers) |  Graeme Lawrence (3) |
| Most wins (constructors) | McLaren (2) |
| Last race (2009): | |
| Pole position |  Lewis HamiltonMcLaren-Mercedes 1:47.891 |
| Podium | 1. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1h 56m 06.337s 2.  Timo GlockToyota +9.634 3.  Fernando AlonsoRenault +16.624 |
| Fastest lap | Fernando Alonso Renault 1:48.240 |
The Singapore Grand Prix is a motor race, currently in the calendar of the FIA Formula One World Championship. It is currently held in the Marina Bay area of Singapore. Upon resurrection of the event in 2008, the first race at the Marina Bay location, which was also Formula One's first night race,[1] was won by Spanish driver Fernando Alonso driving for the Renault F1 team.
Prior to the race becoming part of the Formula One calendar, the Singapore Grand Prix was held as a Formula Libre event in the 1960s and 1970s at the Thomson Road circuit.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Origins
First organised in 1961, the race was initially known as the Orient Year Grand Prix.[2] The following year, the race was renamed the Malaysian Grand Prix.[2] After Singapore attained its independence in 1965, the race at the Thomson Road circuit was renamed to the Singapore Grand Prix. The event was discontinued after 1973 and a variety of reasons have been suggested, including an increase in traffic, the inconvenience of having to close roads for the event and fatal accidents during the 1972 and 1973 races.[3] It is also thought that a surge of oil prices stemming from the Suez Crisis might have been to blame.[2]
[edit] Formula One
An agreement for a five-year deal was signed by Singapore GP Pte Ltd, the Singapore Tourism Board and Bernie Ecclestone.[4] In November 2007 it was announced that the telecommunications company Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) would sponsor the event. The official name of the event will be the FORMULA 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix.[5] The race was co-funded by the Government of Singapore, footing 60% of the total bill, or $90 million SGD, out of a total tab of $150 million SGD.[6]
Around 110,000 tickets were made available for the country's first Formula One race. Corporate hospitality suites and packages went on sale at the end November 2007, three-day passes to the public went on sale in February 2008. Single-day passes went on sale a month later.[7] The event went on to achieve a full sell-out for all of its tickets.[8]
The first race held at the new Marina Bay Street Circuit was the 15th round of the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship, and was also the first night-time event in Formula One history.[1] The timing of the night event meant that it could be broadcast live at a convenient time for European TV audiences.[4] The track was also illuminated by a series of projectors which adapt their output to match the shape of the course.[9] The race was won by Fernando Alonso driving for the Renault team, however that result has since been tarnished by controversy.
For the 2009 race, the circuit was reprofiled slightly, including modifications to turns 1, 2 and 3 to aid overtaking, and also at turn 10 where high curbs caused many accidents in 2008.[10]
[edit] Winners
[edit] Multiple winners (drivers)
Embolded drivers are still competing in the Formula One championship.
| Number of wins | Driver | Years won |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Graeme Lawrence |
1969, 1970, 1971 |
[edit] Multiple winners (constructors)
Embolded teams are still competing in the Formula One championship.
| Number of wins | Constructor | Years won |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | McLaren |
1969, 2009 |
[edit] By year
Events which were not part of the Formula One World Championship are indicated by a pink background.
| Year | Driver | Constructor | Location | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Lewis Hamilton |
McLaren-Mercedes | Marina Bay Street Circuit | Report |
| 2008 | Fernando Alonso |
Renault | Marina Bay Street Circuit | Report |
| 2007 - 1974 |
Not held | |||
| 1973 |  Vern Schuppan |
March-Hart | Thomson Road | Report |
| 1972 | Max Stewart |
Mildren-Waggott | Thomson Road | Report |
| 1971 | Graeme Lawrence |
Brabham-Ford | Thomson Road | Report |
| 1970 | Graeme Lawrence |
Ferrari | Thomson Road | Report |
| 1969 | Graeme Lawrence |
McLaren-Ford | Thomson Road | Report |
| 1968 | Garrie Cooper |
Elfin-Ford | Thomson Road | Report |
| 1967 |  Rodney Seow |
Merlyn-Ford | Thomson Road | Report |
| 1966 | Lee Han Seng |
Lotus-Ford | Thomson Road | Report |
[edit] Sponsors
SingTel Singapore Grand Prix 2008-present
[edit] Concerns
Before the first modern race took place, Malaysian Sports Minister Azalina Othman Said said that the proximity of the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, which hosts the Malaysian Grand Prix and is about 300 kilometres from Singapore, would create unhealthy competition.[11] The Malaysian Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Liow Tiong Lai stated that the Malaysian Government is unconcerned about possible competition from Singapore.[12]
[edit] Gallery
 Bird's eye view of the Marina Bay Street Circuit, with construction of the Integrated Resort in the background |
 Esplanade stretch of the Marina Bay Street Circuit |
 Kimi Räikkönen driving for Ferrari |
 Fernando Alonso and Heikki Kovalainen of Renault and McLaren respectively |
[edit] Further reading
- Solomon, Eli (2008). Snakes & Devils: A History of the Singapore Grand Prix (Hard cover). Singapore: Marshall Cavendish. ISBN 978-981-261-584-8.
- De Cotta, Ian (2008). The Singapore Grand Prix - 50 Years In The Making. Singapore: MediaCorp Pte Ltd. ISBN 978-981-08-1341-3.
- Davison, Julian (September 2008), "Gambling For Matchsticks" (PDF), The Expat: 49–58, http://theexpat.com/magazine/Sept08_048_History.pdf
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ a b "News - FIA green light Singapore night race". Formula1.com. http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2007/10/7040.html. Retrieved 2007-10-25.
- ^ a b c "A History of the Singapore Grand Prix". Snakes & Devils. http://www.snakes-devils.com/TheIntro.htm. Retrieved 2008-02-15.
- ^ "Home - Sports In Independent Singapore - The Grand Prix". Singapore Sports Council. Archived from the original on 2006-09-29. http://web.archive.org/web/20061229153633/http://www.ssc.gov.sg/museum/ssm_cat_details.jsp?type=4&root=20&parent=20&cat=23. Retrieved 2007-05-18.
- ^ a b "News - Singapore confirms 2008 night race". Formula1.com. http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2007/5/6063.html. Retrieved 2007-05-18.
- ^ "SingTel to sponsor first Singapore Grand Prix". Formula1.com. http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2007/11/7101.html. Retrieved 2007-11-17.
- ^ http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/275569/1/.html
- ^ "Introduction to Singapore Grand Prix". Singapore GP. http://www.singaporegp.sg/intro_popup.html. Retrieved 2007-10-02.
- ^ http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/080919103354.shtml
- ^ "Let there be light - illuminating the Singapore Grand Prix". Formula1.com. 2008-02-08. http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/2/7341.html.
- ^ Straw, Edd; Noble, Jonathan (2009-01-07). "Singapore to revise track for 2009 race". autosport.com. http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/72634. Retrieved 2009-01-07.
- ^ "Singapore News - Malaysia jittery over Singapore F1 roar". Channel NewsAsia. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/266587/1/.html. Retrieved 2007-05-18.
- ^ "Malaysia unconcerned about Singapore GP". Motoring & Independent Online (Pty) Ltd. http://www.motoring.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=3754306&fSectionId=&fSetId=381. Retrieved 2007-05-18.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Singapore Grand Prix |
- Singapore Grand Prix Official Website
- Singapore confirms 2008 night race
- FIA green light Singapore night race
- Asian Speed of Festival results
- Google Earth placemark of the circuit
- 1966 Singapore Grand Prix newsreel
- Singapore F1 Night Lighting FAQ
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