F1 News: Temporary Changes Made To Upcoming Singapore Grand Prix

Changes have been made to the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix.

The Marina Bay Street Circuit is set for a temporary transformation for the Singapore Grand Prix next week. This reshaping stems from the redevelopment work at The Float area of Marina Bay, paving the way for a new entertainment hub.

The upcoming entertainment and stage zone in the Marina Bay region necessitates the circuit's revision. Specifically, "the previous section of the circuit from Turns 16 to 19 cannot be used next year." 

The construction of what will be known as the 'NS Square' started in March. This means the circuit will "miss the entire section in front of the famous grandstand." Instead, racers will now navigate a high-speed segment post the Turn 14 right-hander, which ushers in a new straight of 379.3 metres. This stretch will seamlessly connect Turn 15 to a newly conceived tight Turn 16.

This reshuffling is not merely cosmetic; it has performance implications. Preliminary analyses suggested a drastic reduction in lap times, which are expected to "drop dramatically down to 1m27.7 seconds." As a frame of reference, Charles Leclerc's pole position at the 2022 Singapore GP had a lap time of "1m49.412s." 

The new alterations will also have an impact on the race's overall dynamics. Given the trimmed track length, which will be 4.928 kilometres, the total number of laps in the race will climb to 63, up from its current 61.

As for the future beyond 2023, fans can expect a reversion to the classic track layout. Once the NS Square development concludes, the 2024 racing season is likely to reintroduce the familiar circuit stretch.