Usual high heat and slight rain risk in Singapore

2013 Singapore Grand Prix weather

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It’s the sixth running of the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend so the sultry weather conditions and midday thunderstorms are by now well known to the teams.

The F1 action at the track does not begin until 6pm local time on Friday and Saturday, by which time the usual rain showers tend to clear away, though they can leave the circuit damp for the first practice sessions of the day. Drivers haven’t had to contend with rain during qualifying or the a in Singapore since it first appeared on the calendar in 2008.

The oppressive heat and humidity poses a greater challenge, with conditions similar to those in Malaysia, the temperatures only dropping slightly thanks to the onset of nightfall. Temperatures will remain close to 30C as late as 8pm, the race start time.

Interestingly, some forecasts for Sunday suggest the rain may hang around slightly longer than usual, increasing the possibility of the race starting on a damp or wet track.

As always there will be regular updates on the track conditions during each session on F1 Fanatic Live and the F1 Fanatic Twitter account.

Location of Marina Bay

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2013 Singapore Grand Prix

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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19 comments on “Usual high heat and slight rain risk in Singapore”

  1. I would love to see a wet night race but I fear the FIA are far too scared of wet racing these days and would probably start the race under safety car conditions.

    Wet conditions have given us some epic races over the years and it really cuts the boys from the men. Some drivers excel in those conditions while others just keep getting in a spin.

    I really can’t understand why the FIA have suddenly got so worried about racing in these conditions over the last few seasons with extended safety car periods, delayed starts etc.

    If they are the best drivers in the world then let them deal with it. They will soon let Charlie know if conditions are too extreme.

    1. Only reason I can think of is parc ferme conditions between qualifying and race.

      Back in the old days you could change the suspension, roll bars and ride height settings on the grid if it was wet. Now you are stuck with whatever you had from Saturday regardless of conditions.

    2. Light rain please!

      It’s been quite long we don’t have wet race.

  2. I have a question, as I am pretty new to F1. Is Charlie Whiting the best race director off all time?

    1. Define best.

    2. I don’t know anything about his predecessors but I think he’s doing a very good job.

    3. To be honest, I can’t remember there ever being another, but I’m sure there has been since 1950. In answer to your question I would say yes… no question.

    4. Who was the guy before him?

  3. So the forecasters think that rain is possible… therefore we can expect a fully dry race.

    1. Well that’s how it’s been for the last two races, so we can expect the same here.

  4. Rain may be very dangerous in Singapore with racing conditions. I can’t imagine it’d be terribly easy to see with all the artificial lights basically turning the track into a hall of mirrors. Then of course there’s the added risk of it being a street circuit.

    They survive in FP though, so I don’t imagine it’d be too big an issue unless there were quite a lot of standing water (unlikely considering the temperatures). Chances are it won’t rain at all anyway as @jackysteeg said!

  5. Living in Singapore and I feel that rain in Singapore will lead to a postponement of the race.

    Since road closure is up till Tuesday morning, they might push the race to Monday before Justin Bieber’s concert if the rainfall is high.

    1. @ialtair F1 is not Nascar, they would just go round for 10 laps behind the SC and then cancel it.

    2. Forza Bieber and F1!

      I believe they may have the same fan base these days…

  6. I know a lot of people didn’t like the Singapore Sling, but I’m in the minority in that I do feel a bit disappointed it’s gone. As crude and clumsy a solution as it was, it was one of those corners where no matter how well you’ve raced, no matter how well you’ve preserved your tyres, if your concentration lapses for a millisecond, or you hit it just slightly wrong, you’re going into the wall.

    You know every driver is holding thier breath when they hit that first kerb. You know it’s no respector of reputations, and I think Webber once even pulled a move on Alonso there in 2012. As unloved as you were, I will miss you Singapore Sling.

    1. To be fair, the majority of complaints are from the British drivers and pundits. Lewis call it the worst chicane, Coultard call it Mickey Mouse and Jenson is always complaining about how the bumps on the Singapore circuit hurt his tender bottom.

      I understand why drivers complain, but as a fan I love it … It’s FIA approved… The drivers can always slow down, if they go for it then be prepared to bear the risk. For me it adds an element of unpredictability to an otherwise boring track.

  7. I really hope it does rain to just spice things up mainly in the race

  8. Our National Enviroment Agency (NEA) forecast actually predicts all three days to be cloudy, which means it probably WILL rain during the important sessions now!

  9. On raceday it should rain big time around between 6 to 7.30pm, then stop, drenching the circuit. While slowly dry up leaving some areas still damped and refuses to evaporate, so intermediates are still on for the first stint. Cause after rain the air will be still and humid, head scratching begins as teams in a panic figuring out whether to keep inters on or go for slicks. By now I think the safety car will be deployed at some point and track positions start to get kaotic then the serious fun starts to unfold with a dark horse leading and leaders scrimping for points. And Massa wins the race! Hulk takes the second step and Alonso struggling for third. Vettel has gearbox issues and falls back without any points. Something like that.

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