Since debuting in 2008, the Singapore Grand Prix, Formula 1's first-ever night race, has become a staple of the calendar, only being absent twice in 2020 and 2021 due to the global pandemic, and, dazzling and difficult in equal measure, is a favourite amongst both fans and drivers.
Taking place in the heart of the city with skyscrapers watching on and thousands of floodlights replacing the sun, making the track and the cars sparkle. F1 rarely, if ever, looks better than it does at Marina Bay.
It's far more than just good looking though. Tight and twisty from start to finish, the 3.147-mile-long street circuit allows almost no margin for error, with even the smallest mistake from a driver proving costly more often than not, sending them into the barriers.
The race often gets close to the two-hour limit of action too, given its low-medium speed layout and demanding characteristics and its use of the Safety Car pretty much every year.
Various changes have been made over the years to find the perfect layout, with Turns 1, 10, 13, 14, 22 and the pit lane all being modified. As a result, the race provides more entertaining action than many other street circuits.
If you asked each driver what they think are the most challenging races in the sport, the Singapore Grand Prix would undoubtedly be mentioned by most if not all of them.
The narrow nature, the tight corners, the bumpy surface and the fact that it takes place in extremely humid conditions make it, both mentally and physically, one of the most demanding tracks around.
Turn 1 [Sheares Corner] - Coming at the end of the start-finish straight that was made solely for the track, Turn 1 is a tight left-hander in which drivers often come together as they try to squeeze through.
Turn 2 - Next up is the sweeping Turn 2, which is more a curve than a corner. Here, the priority is staying out of trouble and positioning yourself well for the final part of the opening S-shaped section.
Turn 3 - Quickly slam on the brakes or pay as immediately afterwards is Turn 3, a sharp hairpin taking us onto the streets of Singapore.
Turn 4 - Another turn that isn't really a turn but rather a slight curve on a short straight that can be taken flat-out.
Turn 5 - The same can't be said for Turn 5 which is a 90-degree right-hander leading to the longest straight on the track and the first DRS zone. It's an open exit, allowing an early chance to get on the throttle - but fail to do so and your position is under threat.
Turn 6 - Another minor curve on the straight that you can, and should, keep your foot firmly on the pedal for as we enter Sector 2. With DRS and slipstreaming, this is where overtakes will be lined up.
Turn 7 [Memorial Corner] - If you're going to get past a driver, here is the place to do it. Either dive to the left and down the inside and force your opponent wide or sweep around the outside to have the better line for the following corner.
Turn 8 [Stamford] - After a short straight comes a tight right-hand hairpin.
Turn 9 - There's not much time to get back up to speed as it's immediately followed by a medium-speed left. Don't go too wide or you'll meet the wall.
Turn 10 [The Singapore Sling] - Formerly a brutal and bumpy three-apex chicane, this was made into a more straightforward left-hander in 2013 after complaints from the drivers, but it's a corner that you still 'sling' yourself into.
Turn 11 - Quickly switch back across to the left-hand side of the track and clip the kerb for this 90-degree right.
Turn 12 - Go back to the left for another gentle curve over the Anderson Bridge before hitting the brakes while swinging to the right - a tricky, technical part of the track.
Turn 13 - The track's tightest corner, a left hairpin that was widened to create some overtaking opportunities for the very brave.
Turn 14 - Next up is a short straight, where DRS is available to use, with a sharp right turn at the end of it, found at the same intersection as Turn 8 as the corners back onto each other.
Turn 15 - A gentle sweeping left-hander that, coming just before the next corner, shouldn't be taken flat out.
Turn 16/17 [Esplanade] - Approaching the floating platform grandstand, things are slowed down with a right-to-left chicane.
Turn 18/19 - At another place with a wall that has claimed many victims comes a left-to-right chicane, narrowing as drivers go underneath the fan grandstand. There's no getting away with mistakes here.
Turn 20/21 - The third and final chicane, going right before an open left. Watch for the wall on the exit, don't take liberties here.
Turn 22 /23 - After a minor lift before the first apex, the final two open left turns are then taken at full throttle at speeds of well over 100mph, taking drivers back onto the main straight and to the finish line.
Friday 15 September
Free practice 1: 5:30pm-6:30pm [10:30am-11:30am UK]
Free practice 2: 9pm-10pm [2pm-3pm UK]
Saturday 16 September
Free practice 3: 5:30pm-6:30pm [10:30am-11:30am UK]
Qualifying: 9pm [2pm UK]
Sunday 17 September
Race: 8pm [1pm UK]
Tickets are already on sale for the race and can be found on F1's official ticketing site.
Gpticketshop.com and motorsporttickets.com are also well worth checking out once tickets go on sale, as is the F1 Experiences site, where packages will be on sale to make your Singapore Grand Prix experience even more memorable.
For a true VIP experience, prices are available on request for several hospitality options through senategrandprix-singapore.com.
Perhaps the best possible view you can get at the venue is from the Turn 3 Premier grandstand. Placed opposite the pit-lane exit between Turns 2 and 3, you can see everything that happens through those corners excellently. As the name suggests, seats here don't come cheap, but you do also get food and drink vouchers with your ticket.
As is the case with many tracks, if you want to be at the heart of the action, you can't go wrong with getting tickets for the Pit Grandstand, where you'll have a great view of the pits themselves and the start/finish straight. That being said, you'll be able to see more first corner action from the Turn 1 and Turn 2 grandstands.
The biggest, and cheapest, grandstand, is Bay. While it does offers great views of the city skyline and the post-race fireworks, and has an excellent atmosphere, it isn't great when it comes to seeing cars in the flesh for longer than a brief few seconds, although there will be a large TV screen in sight.
Ultimately, as is the case with any street race, the fencing and the close proximity to the track itself mean that you won't get an amazing, prolonged view of the cars from any stand, but if that's your priority, those found at the start of the lap are your best bet.
You can, of course, opt not to get a seat in the stands and buy General Admission tickets instead. You won't see too much of the action without looking at one of the TV screens, but you can get Premier Walkabout tickets which offer access to a number of decent viewing areas.
Located in the heart of the city, the Singapore Grand Prix is easily accessible via various modes of transport.
If you're planning on flying to Singapore ahead of the race, your best option is to get a flight to Changi International Airport. It is also easy to fly into Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and get public transport to Singapore from there.
With a number of roads being closed during the race weekend, the best way to get the venue itself once you're in the city is on Singapore's metro network, the MRT. Stations are located throughout the city and seven are located close the circuit. A day ticket with unlimited travel costs $10, while single trips cost from $1 to $2 depending on the length.
You can get the metro straight from the airport to the track, having to change just once in the city centre. With road closures and traffic, this is a better option than getting a taxi, bus or hiring a car.
Finally, with the track being located in a harbour, those of us who can afford to do so can rock up in a yacht.
Given it's only been on the calendar since 2008, the race has played host to a huge number of memorable moments in the sport.
Perhaps the most famous race there was the first one, which saw Nelson Piquet Jr deliberately crash to help team-mate Fernando Alonso win. It has since been dubbed Crashgate and is one of the sport's most infamous scandals.
While Alonso won once more in 2010, it's Sebastian Vettel who is the most successful driver at the track, having won there five times, doing so three times in a row from 2011 to 2013 and twice more in the red of Ferrari.
It hasn't all been plain sailing for the German though, with his 2017 title challenge all but ending in spectacular style after he came together with Kimi Raikkonen and Max Verstappen at the start, causing all three to crash out.
Lewis Hamilton took advantage to win that day, and has done so a further three times himself, with his pole lap in 2018 being one of his best ever - the Mercedes driver physically trembled in Parc Ferme after pulling off one of the laps of his life.
Driver with most wins
Sebastian Vettel, 5 wins (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2019)
Lewis Hamilton, 4 wins (2009, 2014, 2017, 2018)
Fernando Alonso, 2 wins (2008, 2010)
Teams with most wins
Mercedes, 4 wins (2014, 2016, 2017, 2018) Red Bull, 4 wins (2011, 2012, 2013, 2022)
Ferrari, 3 wins (2010, 2015, 2019)
McLaren, 1 win (2009)
Last 10 wins
2022 Sergio Perez, Red Bull
2019 Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari
2018 Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2017 Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2016 Nico Rosberg, Mercedes
2015 Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari
2014 Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2013 Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull
2012 Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull
2011 Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull
The fastest lap set on the Marina Bay circuit during a race is a 1:41.905 set by Danish driver Kevin Magnussen in a Haas during the 2018 Grand Prix. He did so on Lap 50 of 61 on fresh hypersoft tyres.
The fastest ever qualifying lap there meanwhile also came in 2018, courtesy of Lewis Hamilton who took pole with a 1:36.015. It is widely considered to be one of the best laps ever seen in the sport, and certainly at the track.
Daniel Ricciardo: "In a strange way, the pain has become pleasure over the years. The feeling of driving on the edge, so close to the walls, is something you just can’t get enough of."
Sergio Perez: “The race is a big test for the body. When you're in the car, it is hard to breathe and you're sweating a lot. In the days leading up to the race I train in the toughest conditions I can to get used to it."
Fernando Alonso: “Singapore is a bit like the Monaco of the East. It’s a glamorous street circuit right in the centre of the city and the atmosphere is incredible. It’s tough – hot and humid, and hard on the cars and drivers. It’s really fun though: bumpy, tight and challenging, but exhilarating when you get it right."
