Singapore GP Preview: Hamilton looking to emulate Senna as haze issue persists

Formula 1 returns to Asia this weekend for the Singapore Grand Prix after the completion of the European Leg of the calendar. The night race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit provides a beautiful and unique spectacle that rivals any sporting event in the world.

Lewis Hamilton has led the drivers’ championship since the very first race, and his advantage now stands at 53 points. However his team-mate Nico Rosberg will be looking to close the gap this weekend at the Singapore GP.

However the buildup to the race has largely been dominated by the haze caused by forest fires from neighbouring Indonesia, which has led to a rise in the PSI (Pollutant Standards Index). Visibility concerns remain but the FIA has insisted that the race will go ahead as planned.

The Singapore GP track will be slightly revised for this year’s race, with the turn 11 and 12 chicane tweaked before a tighter turn 13 hairpin to create a better overtaking spot.

After completely dominating the last two races, Lewis Hamilton will be looking to get a hat-trick of wins and also equaling Ayrton Senna’s record of 41 wins in the same number of starts (161). However he must expect a stern challenge from Rosberg, who will be taking his fourth Mercedes engine for the season.

This will be also be the first race for 23 year old Alexander Rossi who will be driving for Manor. Rossi will become the first American to race in F1 since Scott Speed in 2007.

Speaking to BBC Rossi said, “This is a major step in really firmly putting myself on the F1 map and I’m just focusing on doing a really good job in these five races.”

Vettel is the most successful driver here in the Singapore GP and has finished in the top two in the last five consecutive Singapore Grand Prix. However, between the flying Mercedes and a potentially much stronger threat from Red Bull (who took a strategic penalty at last race), he may face a stiffer task to reach the podium this weekend. He also expressed grief on the fact that Renault will no longer be Red Bull’s supplier next season.

Though the pressure of contractual uncertainty no longer exists, Kimi Raikkonen still needs to get a podium. Raikkonen had memorably returned to the top step in 2012 with Lotus for the first time after returning from his two-year sabbatical.

A small but significant upgrade package for the ‘B-spec’ VJM08 should help Force India continue its momentum after last race’s double points finish. The Vijay Mallya owned team will be looking to increase its chances of holding on to fifth place in the championship – which would be their best-ever result.

While for McLaren, the twisty confines of the Marina Bay street circuit should allow the MP4-30 chassis to hide some of the obvious deficiencies of Honda’s power unit. They will be banking on their drivers experience (Alonso is a two time winner here) to bring home the points this weekend.

Pirelli will bring the yellow-marked soft and the red-marked super soft tires to Singapore.