First organised in 1961, the race was initially known as the Orient Year Grand Prix, located at the Thomson Road Grand Prix circuit. It was renamed to the Singapore Grand Prix in 1966, shortly after Singapore became a sovereign country in 1965. The event was discontinued after 1973 due to various reasons, including an increase in traffic, the high danger and unsuitability of the track for racing, the inconvenience of closing roads, and fatal accidents during the 1972 and 1973 races.
An agreement for a five-year deal was announced in 2008, signed by Singapore GP Pte Ltd, the Singapore Tourism Board, and Bernie Ecclestone. In November 2007, Singtel was announced as the title sponsor, making the official name of the event the Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix. The Government of Singapore co-funded 60% of the total bill, or S$90 million, out of a total of S$150 million. Around 110,000 tickets were made available for the country's first Formula One race, which achieved a full sell-out.
Fernando Alonso won the inaugural Formula One edition of the renewed Grand Prix, driving for the Renault team. This victory was amid controversial circumstances, as it emerged a year later that his teammate Nelson Piquet Jr. had been ordered to crash on purpose by senior team management to bring out the safety car at a time chosen to benefit Alonso. The race was the 800th Formula One World Championship race since its inception in 1950, and the first ever Formula One race held at night. Sebastian Vettel has the most wins on the track, with five victories. Until the 2024 race, Marina Bay had featured at least one safety car in every race edition, with a total of 24 safety car deployments. The Singapore Grand Prix has been considered one of the most challenging and unique tracks on the Formula One calendar.
In 2022, a contract extension was announced to keep the race on the Formula One calendar until at least 2028. The 2020 and 2021 iterations of the event were cancelled due to the global COVID-19 pandemic and resulting travel restrictions imposed by the Government of Singapore. The 2023 Grand Prix saw major changes in the layout, with turns 16–19 removed to facilitate the construction of NS Square. The 2024 Grand Prix had a fourth DRS zone added to the circuit between turns 14 and 16 to increase overtaking, making it the second track in Formula One history, along with the Albert Park Circuit, to feature as many as four DRS zones. Lando Norris took pole position and won the 2024 race, which was the first not to feature at least one safety car.
The Marina Bay Street Circuit is a twisty circuit that is the slowest in Formula One running at normal race distance above 305 kilometres (190 mi). This, combined with its proximity to walls, leads to frequent safety cars, further extending the running to nearing the race time limit of two hours. The race tests the limits for both drivers and cars, featuring technical sections and quick direction changes. Overtaking is primarily done at the end of the first sector, where top speeds are at their highest. The Singapore Grand Prix has been frequently described by drivers as being the “toughest race of the Formula 1 calendar” due to high heat, high humidity, high number of corners, and little margin for error.
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