An in-depth analysis of the F1® Singapore GP 2022

Following a delayed start and a race that featured five stoppages for the Safety Car or Virtual Safety Car, Red Bull continued their dominance in the second half of the Formula 1® season at the Singapore Grand Prix with Sergio Perez claiming a commanding victory after leading from the first lap of the race.

It is the Mexican driver’s second win of the season in a race that Perez himself said was the best performance of his career.

Charles Leclerc fought hard but had to settle for second place and his Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz came in third to round out the podium.

The 5.063 km Marina Bay Street Circuit made its return to Formula 1® appearing on the calendar for the first time since 2019; the track which runs through the streets of Singapore and takes place at night requires around 1,600 floodlights which are four times brighter than a standard sports stadium. Whilst the circuit has become a favourite amongst fans, it is often regarded as the hardest Grand Prix of the season for drivers, both mentally and physically. The Circuit’s combination of 23 slow and tight corners, along with relatively short straights means there is constant pressure with very little time for a breather.

The difficult circuit coupled with the standard heat and humidity of Singapore make this a uniquely agonizing race.

The circuit also presents its own set of challenges for teams in setting up the cars. With 15 braking points per lap, wear on the brake pads and discs is extremely high and engineers have to keep a constant eye to ensure these parts are still running at an optimal level. With drivers only being on full throttle for approximately 45% of a lap and a series of difficult corners, teams will run maximum levels of downforce. Adding to the usual challenges in this year’s Grand Prix was a track which was still damp due to the downpour of rain just before the race commenced. The conditions proved to be too difficult for many drivers and cars alike with six drivers forced to retire due to engine failures or collisions.

The lap times of the race can be broken up into two segments; the first part of the race where drivers ran on the intermediate compound tyres and the second portion of the race where drivers changed onto slick compound tyres between laps 33 and 36.

The plot above shows the lap times for the podium finishers while they were on the intermediate tyres. Sainz had pace throughout the weekend and finished less than two-tenths of a second behind pole position sitter Leclerc in qualifying. Although in the race Sainz struggled immensely in the conditions stating that he “never really got into a rhythm in the wet”. During these early stages of the race Sainz was consistently posting lap times around a second slower per lap compared to his rivals Perez and Leclerc. In this same period Perez was doing enough to hold off and create a sizeable gap to Leclerc.

The second plot (above) illustrates a similar picture even once the track had dried up and drivers changed to medium tyres. Following the end of the final safety car period Perez continued to extend his lead over Leclerc to 7.59 seconds, this would ultimately turn out to be crucial after Perez received a five-second time penalty after the race’s conclusion for straying too far behind the Safety Car, however the advantage Perez had built up allowed him to hold onto the race victory despite the penalty he incurred.

Although Leclerc will be disappointed in being unable to convert his pole position into a race victory, Ferrari will be thrilled after taking home a double podium to increase their lead in second place of the Constructor’s Championship to 66 points ahead of Mercedes who were only able to finish with two points following Lewis Hamilton’s ninth place finish and George Russell’s retirement.

Meanwhile Verstappen will be hoping to return to his dominant form in one week’s time at the Japanese Grand Prix where he once again has an opportunity to claim his second World Championship.