Toto Talks Singapore
We head straight to Singapore for the second race in this double header. Although a street circuit like Baku, Marina Bay is a different challenge. Physically, it is incredibly demanding on both the drivers and team members. The heat and humidity play a big role in that but so does the track itself. It is bumpy in places, contains a mixture of both low and high speed corners, and the walls are waiting to catch you out.
After a mixed weekend in Azerbaijan, we will take the learnings from Baku and aim for an improved performance in Singapore. At times, our pace was strong but we couldn't deliver that consistently. Our main challenge was controlling tyre temperatures and something we know we need to improve upon. It is encouraging that, when we get the car working, we have the pace to be competitive. Whilst we came away with a podium though, we know that it was fortuitous and we were P5 on merit.
We have additional motivation heading into this weekend too. Singapore has become a key race for our Title and Technical Partner PETRONAS in recent seasons, as the closest event to Malaysia. We are excited that this year we will be part of their 50th anniversary celebrations. We have enjoyed a record-breaking partnership with them since Mercedes returned to F1 as a works team in 2010. We have achieved incredible success together over the past 15 seasons and that relationship continues to grow as we push forward with our sustainability ambitions both on and off track, including the exciting work around sustainable fuels for 2026. We have several exciting moments planned as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations over the next week and look forward to sharing them with our fans.
Fact File: Singapore Grand Prix
Last year's Singapore Grand Prix featured a new layout as redevelopment works took place in the vicinity of the track.
The circuit between what was Turns 16 to 19 became one long 397.9m straight, reducing the number of corners from 23 down to 19.
The circuit length was reduced from 5.063 km to 4.928 km and the number of laps of the Grand Prix increased from 61 to 62.
Lap times were reduced by roughly 10 seconds due to the changes.
The new layout was beneficial for the tyres; previously, they would begin to overheat towards the end of the lap, but the removal of four 90-degree corners helped them stay closer to the optimum operating window.
Track evolution is incredibly high in Singapore, given that it is a street circuit. The surface can ramp up by as much as three seconds between FP1 on Friday and Qualifying on Saturday evening.
The Singapore Grand Prix is one of the most physically demanding races of the season. The intense humidity, warm temperatures, combined with the stop/start nature of the track, make it very challenging.
Due to these factors, drivers can lose around 5kg of weight during the race through sweating alone.
That stop/start nature, with a requirement for constant re-acceleration, ensures the circuit has one of the biggest fuel effects of the year. In simple terms, that means the amount of time you lose each lap is higher for every kilogram of extra fuel in the car.
Owing to the large amount of time spent in corners, just over 50% of lap time is spent at full throttle - only Monaco and the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico have lower amounts.
The track is also very bumpy. That adds to the stress that the drivers and cars are put through - that is particularly true with these new generation cars that run lower to the ground.
With a speed limit of 60 km/h, and a layout that feeds in at turn two, the total pit lane time is the highest of the season at 25 seconds.
Marina Bay is one of four circuits on the calendar to have a 60 km/h pitlane speed limit, owing to its tight nature. The others are Melbourne, Monaco, and Zandvoort.
Being a street track, it is perhaps no surprise that all 14 of the previous Singapore Grands Prix have featured at least one Safety Car deployment.
In the last six editions, we have seen 11 Safety Car deployments.
The team has achieved four wins around the streets of Marina Bay. Three times with Lewis (2014, 2017, 2018) and once with Nico Rosberg (2016).
