This weekend, from October 9 to 11, the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix will take place — the most grueling and hottest round of the Formula 1 season, which will be held in a sprint weekend format for the first time in history. Spectators can look forward to three days of uncompromising racing on the iconic Marina Bay circuit, where drivers lose up to three kilograms over the race distance, UNN reports.
Details
The first night race in F1 history will become a sprint weekend in 2026 — Marina Bay under the floodlights, with the opportunity to score points throughout all three days.
The Singapore race is the most physically demanding of the entire year: humidity exceeds 90%, temperatures rise above 50 °C, and there are almost two hours of uninterrupted concentration without a single break. The combination of the sprint format and a circuit where the appearance of the safety car is practically guaranteed makes this weekend one of the most strategically unpredictable of the entire season.
The Marina Bay circuit
"Marina Bay" is F1's first night race and the most physically demanding one. The circuit's defining features are narrow street corridors, numerous 90-degree corners, and constant braking and acceleration. Drivers complete 62 laps in hot and humid conditions under artificial lighting, making Singapore one of the most physically exhausting races of the season.
Drivers lose up to three kilograms over the race distance and describe the final 20 laps as a test of sheer willpower. As a result of the circuit's redesign in 2023, four corners along the waterfront were removed, but 19 remained, most of them merciless 90-degree street corners.
The circuit runs counterclockwise. Overtaking is formally possible at three corners — 1, 7 and 14 — but in practice, fighting for position in Singapore is extremely difficult, making a good qualifying result, a strong start and a successful strategy crucial.
The speed at the slowest corner is 75 km/h, while at the fastest it is 275 km/h. The probability of a safety car appearance is 100%, and teams will take this factor into account when developing their strategies.
The lap record at the Singapore circuit belongs to Lewis Hamilton — 1:33.808 (2025).
History of the Singapore sprint
The 2008 Singapore Grand Prix became the first night race in the history of the World Championship, and its inaugural running went down in history for all the wrong reasons. On September 28, 2008, Flavio Briatore ordered Nelson Piquet to crash into a wall so that Fernando Alonso would have the ideal strategy and be able to win the race.
At the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso started only 15th after problems in qualifying and made an unusually early pit stop. Soon afterward, his teammate Nelson Piquet Jr. deliberately crashed the Renault, bringing out the safety car at precisely the moment that perfectly played into Alonso's strategy. As a result, the Spaniard surged through the field and won the first night race in F1 history.
For almost a year, everything looked like nothing more than a strange coincidence. But after being released by Renault, Piquet revealed that the crash had been planned. The investigation established that Flavio Briatore, technical director Pat Symonds and Piquet had conspired to arrange an intentional crash to help Alonso.
The consequences were serious: Briatore received an indefinite ban, Symonds a five-year ban, Renault a suspended two-year disqualification, while Piquet avoided punishment in exchange for cooperating with the investigation.
Singapore is famous for the fact that as soon as the winner takes the checkered flag, fireworks are launched. They fill the city's skyline and create an exceptionally spectacular celebration that not only looks fantastic on television but also adds a special flair to the spectacle.
The winners emerge from their cars against a backdrop of bright, saturated colors exploding across the night sky behind them. This has become such an important event for the race organizers that there are even fans who film the spectacle as a separate event.
Fireworks are launched both beside the circuit and over the water in Marina Bay, and similar post-race fireworks displays have since become a common feature at several other night races, including those in Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and Las Vegas.
Race format
The 2026 sprint format is an exciting stress test: the physical demands equivalent to two races packed into one weekend at the most demanding circuit of the season. Safety cars appeared in the vast majority of races in Singapore, so strategy teams view a stoppage as an inevitability to be planned for, rather than an opportunity. Under the floodlights, the cars run in cooler evening air than during a daytime race, but the humidity never lets up.
Ahead of the event, Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) leads the drivers’ standings with 302 points. George Russell (Mercedes) is second with 236 points. At the same time, Mercedes confirmed that Russell will start from the grid due to a power-unit replacement.
If Andrea Kimi Antonelli has a clean weekend and finishes around the top three in both racing sessions, his lead over Russell could increase to nearly 100 points with six rounds remaining in the season.
The main question in the drivers’ standings is who will finish the season in second place. As noted, Russell currently holds that position, but a number of drivers are breathing down his neck, including Ferrari racers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, reigning world champion Lando Norris of McLaren, and Max Verstappen, who secured Red Bull’s first win of the season in Malaysia.
Interestingly, Verstappen has never won in Singapore, and throughout the event’s history he has led on this circuit for only three laps.
Schedule:
- Friday, October 9: 11:30–12:30 — first practice, 15:30–16:14 — sprint qualifying;
- Saturday, October 10: 12:00–13:00 — sprint, 16:00–17:00 — qualifying.
It should be noted that the race itself will take place at 20:00 local time (15:00 Kyiv time) on Sunday, October 11. First and foremost, this late time is intended to allow it to be broadcast during prime time in Europe, while it also offers the additional benefit of somewhat cooler conditions on the track.
The Setanta Sports Ukraine+ television channel will broadcast live the qualifying session, sprint, and the Singapore Grand Prix race itself in Ukraine.