Formula One continues its short tour of Asia with the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix before going on a month-long break again. Here's our preview.
After a fantastic weekend in Azerbaijan, Formula One moves to Singapore for round 18 of theWorld Championship. With Red Bull still nowhere near its early-season form and Mclaren picking up speed, can the pairing of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri do anything to challenge Max Verstappen's championship lead?
The two highest-profile drivers on the grid took issue with this, with reigning World Champion Verstappen's proposed solution being to simply not broadcast team radio, pointing out that everyone swears and F1 drivers are different in that other athletes usually do not have microphones picking up their communications.
Seven-time World Champion Hamilton, meanwhile, took issue to Ben Sulayem's phrasing when elaborating on the issue. The FIA president told motorsport.com that "we have to differentiate between our sport - motorsport - and rap music. We're not rappers, you know. They say the F-word how many times per minute? We are not on that."
While Hamilton agrees with the swearing on team radio being a problem, he rebukes the supposed racial undertones that the FIA president hinted at.
The greasy track surface sparked a few mistakes out on the track. Sergio Perez briefly brought out a yellow flag after misjudging the braking point for Turn 16. KICK Sauber's Valtteri Bottas reported that he had been “
heald up on a quick run by the Williams of the championship's newest debutant, Franco Colapinto.
Piastri's rear-left tyre drama in his pit box. Image: Formula One
Oscar Piastri was stuck in his Papaya garage for the first ten minutes of the session with dramas for his rear left tyre. Coming off of his second win of the season and his career, the Australian is one of the favourites for this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix.
Similar to McLaren, VCARB struggled to get Daniel Ricciardo out in the session after a broken aero rake proved to be a test to remove from the car. Ricciardo is under a lot of pressure this weekend as his future in Formula One is to be decided, and potentially announced, very soon after the Singapore Grand Prix has come to an end on Sunday.
The new look has certainly impressed drivers, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, with both looking forward to getting behind the wheel under the lights in Singapore. Russell further added: “The design looks brilliant and is a fantastic tribute to such a milestone achievement. It is great to be able to recognise the importance of our relationship at the race closest to their home.”
After the race weekend in Singapore is complete, Wolff, Hamilton and Russell will continue the celebrations with their title sponsor in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; the city the Petronas brand calls its home.
Who are you supporting this weekend? Let us know in the poll above or down in the comments below!
After a fantastic weekend in Azerbaijan, Formula One moves to Singapore for round 18 of theWorld Championship. With Red Bull still nowhere near its early-season form and Mclaren picking up speed, can the pairing of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri do anything to challenge Max Verstappen's championship lead?
Team Radio Debate Continues
As nearly everything surrounding an F1 race weekend is broadcast these days, so is team radio. However, the debate about swearing has come up again, with FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem calling for less cursing, pointing out that drivers are role models for children who might watch.The two highest-profile drivers on the grid took issue with this, with reigning World Champion Verstappen's proposed solution being to simply not broadcast team radio, pointing out that everyone swears and F1 drivers are different in that other athletes usually do not have microphones picking up their communications.
Seven-time World Champion Hamilton, meanwhile, took issue to Ben Sulayem's phrasing when elaborating on the issue. The FIA president told motorsport.com that "we have to differentiate between our sport - motorsport - and rap music. We're not rappers, you know. They say the F-word how many times per minute? We are not on that."
While Hamilton agrees with the swearing on team radio being a problem, he rebukes the supposed racial undertones that the FIA president hinted at.
Practice One
Charles Leclerc set the first practice session alight with the best time of 1:31.763. The Ferrari driver finished top of the leaderboard ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris by a tiny margin of seven-hundredths of a second. Leclerc's scarlet teammate, Carlos Sainz, rounded out the top three to finish a strong session for Ferrari.The greasy track surface sparked a few mistakes out on the track. Sergio Perez briefly brought out a yellow flag after misjudging the braking point for Turn 16. KICK Sauber's Valtteri Bottas reported that he had been “
heald up on a quick run by the Williams of the championship's newest debutant, Franco Colapinto.
Piastri's rear-left tyre drama in his pit box. Image: Formula One
Oscar Piastri was stuck in his Papaya garage for the first ten minutes of the session with dramas for his rear left tyre. Coming off of his second win of the season and his career, the Australian is one of the favourites for this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix.
Similar to McLaren, VCARB struggled to get Daniel Ricciardo out in the session after a broken aero rake proved to be a test to remove from the car. Ricciardo is under a lot of pressure this weekend as his future in Formula One is to be decided, and potentially announced, very soon after the Singapore Grand Prix has come to an end on Sunday.
Mercedes Reveal Special Singapore Livery
Whilst not the most striking of changes, the special livery that Mercedes is running this weekend still makes the silver arrows stand out on the grid. The livery is to commemorate Petronas' 50th anniversary.The new look has certainly impressed drivers, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, with both looking forward to getting behind the wheel under the lights in Singapore. Russell further added: “The design looks brilliant and is a fantastic tribute to such a milestone achievement. It is great to be able to recognise the importance of our relationship at the race closest to their home.”
After the race weekend in Singapore is complete, Wolff, Hamilton and Russell will continue the celebrations with their title sponsor in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; the city the Petronas brand calls its home.
When To Watch (UTC)
| TV Times | Start | |
|---|---|---|
| 20th Sep | Practice 1 | 09:30 |
| 20th Sep | Practice 2 | 13:00 |
| 21st Sep | Practice 3 | 09:30 |
| 21st Sep | Qualifying | 13:00 |
| 22nd Sep | Grand Prix | 12:00 |
Who are you supporting this weekend? Let us know in the poll above or down in the comments below!
