Singapore hosted a race known as the Orient Year Grand Prix from 1961 at the Thomson Road circuit. The event was renamed the Singapore Grand Prix in 1966, shortly after Singapore became an independent nation. Racing at Thomson Road was discontinued after 1973 due to a combination of factors including rising traffic volumes, the danger of the circuit, the difficulty of closing public roads, and fatal accidents during the 1972 and 1973 races.
The event's return to the Formula One calendar was announced in 2008. A five-year deal was signed between Singapore GP Pte Ltd, the Singapore Tourism Board, and Bernie Ecclestone. The Government of Singapore co-funded the race, contributing S$90 million — sixty per cent of the S$150 million total cost. Singtel was announced as title sponsor in November 2007, establishing the official event name as the Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix. Approximately 110,000 tickets were made available for the inaugural Formula One edition, and the event achieved a full sell-out.
To enable racing after dark at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, the track was illuminated by a series of projectors adapted to follow the shape of the course. The night-time scheduling also made it possible to broadcast the race live at convenient times for television audiences in Europe. The 2008 race was the 800th Formula One World Championship race since the championship began in 1950.
Fernando Alonso won the inaugural 2008 race for Renault, but the result was tarnished by the revelation a year later that team management had ordered teammate Nelson Piquet Jr. to crash deliberately to trigger a safety car at a moment chosen to benefit Alonso. Lewis Hamilton won in 2009, while Alonso — now at Ferrari — became the first two-time Singapore winner in 2010.
Sebastian Vettel went on to accumulate the most victories at the circuit, winning in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2019. His 2019 victory, achieved at Ferrari, proved to be the final win of his Formula One career. The 2017 race was a pivotal moment in that season's title fight: pole-sitter Vettel was eliminated in a first-corner collision involving Ferrari teammate Kimi Räikkönen and Red Bull's Max Verstappen, allowing Lewis Hamilton to win from fifth on the grid and extend his championship lead from three points to 28. Lewis Hamilton also won in 2009, 2014, and 2018, making him a multiple victor at the venue. Lando Norris won in 2024, leading every lap, while George Russell took victory in 2025.
The 2020 and 2021 races were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated travel restrictions imposed by the Singapore government.
The Marina Bay circuit has undergone several modifications over the years. Turns 1, 2, and 3 were reprofiled for 2009 to improve overtaking opportunities, and turn 10 was also revised after high kerbs caused accidents in 2008. In 2013 the turn-10 "Singapore Sling" chicane was reconfigured into a flowing left-hander. A major change came for 2023 when turns 16–19 were removed to make way for the NS Square development, creating a new flat section and reducing lap times by approximately ten seconds. A fourth DRS zone was added between turns 14 and 16 for 2024, making Marina Bay only the second track in Formula One history — alongside the Albert Park Circuit — to feature four such zones.
The race's continued place on the Formula One calendar has been secured through successive contract extensions: through 2017 (announced 2012), through 2021 (announced on the eve of the 2017 race), and through at least 2028 (announced 27 January 2022). Singapore Airlines replaced Singtel as the event's title sponsor beginning with the 2014 race.
Marina Bay is consistently described by drivers as the most demanding race on the Formula One calendar. Nineteen corners, high temperatures and humidity, proximity to barriers throughout, and limited run-off areas combine to tax both drivers and machinery. Until 2024 every race edition featured at least one safety car deployment, a streak totalling 24 deployments. The 2024 and 2025 races became the first two editions to be completed without a safety car. Race distances frequently exhaust the two-hour time limit, and four editions have been concluded on the clock rather than by completing the scheduled laps.