Formula 1: Singapore Grand Prix Betting Preview

This weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix rounds off the doubleheader that included last Sunday’s exciting Azerbaijan GP.

Oscar Piastri’s scored his second career win after an audacious late braking move on pole-sitter Charles Leclerc. That win helped McLaren overtake Red Bull in the constructors’ standings.

McLaren and Ferrari have won the last two races, and look set to once again lock horns under the lights on the streets of Marina Bay.

Max Verstappen remains in the lead of the drivers’ standings and will take heed from teammate Sergio Perez’s performance in Baku. The Mexican was in the hunt for victory before an incident with Carlos Sainz on the penultimate lap ended both their races.

Red Bull needs both drivers to score points this weekend, but it’s all to play for as McLaren and Ferrari are in-form teams.

The Track

The big news for this weekend’s race is the addition of a fourth DRS zone to the 19-corner 4.940 kilometre street circuit. The fourth DRS zone is located between turns 14 and 16 to create closer racing, and it’ll be interesting if it creates the desired effect.

The big factor in Singapore is always the humidity. It never dips below 70% due to its location close to the equator. There’s always the threat of thundershowers and that could add a spanner in the works.

Teams opt for one-stop strategy in Singapore because they lose around 28 seconds to when changing tyres and the pit lane speed limit is reduced to a paltry 60 km/h. The second reason is because overtaking around Marina Bay is tricky to say the least.

To emphasise how important pole position is at Marina Bay, it should be noted that nine of the 14 races held here has seen the pole sitter claim victory.

Difficult To Separate Ferrari And McLaren

The sport has seen one of the most unpredictable periods in years this season. Ferrari and McLaren have won the last two Grand Prix and on both occasions the pole sitters failed to win.

Ferrari’s outgoing driver Carlos Sainz won here last year to break Red Bull’s dominance. The Spaniard held off Lando Norris and the two Mercedes cars for a brilliant win.

Sainz will need to qualify on the front-row if he wants a great opportunity to win here again. However, his teammate Charles Leclerc and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri have been trading blows for the past two races and seem to have the edge over their teammates.

Ever since McLaren introduced their major upgrade at Miami, they’ve been stupendously rapid at all circuits. Their dominance has seen Norris’s claw back the deficit to Verstappen in the drivers’ championship and McLaren lead the team championship for the first time since 2014.

One thing we know is, it’s going to be close at the top.

Predictions

Winner: Charles Leclerc

Podium: Charles Leclerc, Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris

Top 4 and 5: Carlos Sainz, George Russell

Winning Margin: Under six seconds

Fastest lap: Lando Norris

Pole position: Charles Leclerc

First to retire: Esteban Ocon

First car to retire: Alpine

Most Team Points: McLaren

Both Cars Qualify for Q3 Shootout: Alpine

Practice 1/2/3 Winning Car: Norris/ McLaren

Safety Car: Yes

Top 6: Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez, Lewis Hamilton

Top 10: Alex Albon, Fernando Alonso, Franco Colapinto

Fastest pit stop: Red Bull