All eyes (and cars) are set in the upcoming Singapore Grand Prix, which will happen tomorrow starting on 8pm.
It will be a F1 race is to be held at night time and what better place to do it than in the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
The said race track boasts a beautiful backdrop of the Singapore skyline plus an abundant amount of custom-made floodlights to illuminate the circuit. It sure is a feast to the eyes for race fans all over the world.
Following his maiden victory at the Belgium Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc added one more to his trophy case by winning another one at the Italian Grand Prix. The win particularly ended Ferrari’s nine-year drought at Monza.
As always, SBOBET is here to offer you a quick preview on what’s ahead for the upcoming Singapore Grand Prix starting tomorrow.
Talking Points
Sebastian Vettel manages his expectations
So far, it has been a miserable season for Sebastian Vettel and things get worse for some reason as days go by.
In the previous event, the German racer accumulated three penalty points for entering the race point in an unsafe manner. He spun at the Ascari chicane on the sixth lap and his car collided with fellow racer Lance Stroll in what was a desperate attempt to rejoin the circuit.
Stroll called Vettel an ‘idiot’ for the mishap and the latter is in danger for a one-race ban if he doesn’t get his act together.
Vettel has now compiled nine points already, and if he adds three more from here to Japan, the 32-year-old will receive the said infraction.
His Singapore Grand Prix 2019 odds of winning are very much low coming into Saturday, and perhaps he would be grateful to have an error-free race which would be his best case scenario.
Hamilton aiming to get back at the top
Since his last F1 win during the Hungarian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton came up short as he placed second and third during the Belgian and Italian tournaments respectively.
But even with successive losses, Hamilton still has a 63-point lead across all competitors and he isn’t stopping now as shown by his recent form.
He, along with Max Verstappen, has shown encouraging signs during their last few practices at the Marina Bay. In yesterday’s practice, Hamilton set the pace by leading 0.184 seconds ahead of second-place Verstappen. However, he acknowledges that there’s still room for improvement, particularly with his car.
They may have to start with the inside ventilation of the car to make things comfortable for Hamilton during the race.
“It’s like a sauna in the car but it’s been a solid day. We got through our run plan and continued to improve the car so I was really happy with it. I hope that says over the weekend. If you can get into a groove, it’s such a beautiful lap. I’ve really been enjoying it,” remarked Hamilton.
All in all, Mercedes have a distinct advantage over Ferrari for this circuit. Normally, the Marina Bay Circuit demands a high downforce in addition to its multiple twists and turns and Mercedes look to have the necessary parts to cover that.
New parts needed for the Ferraris
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has been on a roll over the past two races at Spa and Monza, but he is expected to have harder time in the Marina Bay since the circuit looks to suit well more for either Red Bull or Mercedes.
“We are well aware that Singapore will present new challenges and a layout in which our car is not as strong as at other circuits,” said Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto in a recent interview.
“We are bringing a few new parts there as part of our effort to close the gap to the competition, at a track that features predominantly slow speed corners,” he detailed.
As mentioned, the Scuderia has planned to bring in ’a few new parts’ for the race to cater for Leclerc and Vettel. The Hypersoft tyre compound is expected to be brought back since its last use during the Canadian Grand Prix.
By using the Hypersoft tyres, it gives Ferrari cars the maximum downforce that they need to withstand Marina Bay. It’s a good thing, however, that the race is to be held during night time or else the humid temperature may hasten tyre degradation.
History
Lewis Hamilton is aiming for a third consecutive Singapore Grand Prix win coming into Sunday. All in all, the British driver is tied with Sebastian Vettel with four wins each.
For the most part, the Singapore Grand Prix have always been hot and humid, and the only time that it wasn’t the case was back in 2017 where Verstappen, Vettel, Raikkonen got entangled in a dramatic, opening-lap encounter.
What are the odds?
For this race, Mercedes racers have the edge given their track record at the Marina Bay and I am sure that Lewis Hamilton is expected to produce some of the best Singapore Grand Prix 2019 highlights on this one. The 32-year-old is pegged to win at 1.90 odds while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is right behind him at 2.20.
The two aforementioned racers are expected to be in a close affair and the others are expected to just sit and watch.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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