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Singapore Street Circuit
The Singapore Grand Prix is a motor race, currently in the calendar of the FIA Formula One World Championship. It is currently held in the Marina Bay area of Singapore. Upon resurrection of the event in 2008, the first race at the Marina Bay location, which was also Formula One’s first night race, was won by Spanish driver Fernando Alonso driving for the Renault F1 team. Prior to the race becoming part of the Formula One calendar, the Singapore Grand Prix was held as a Formula Libre event in the 1960s and 1970s at the Thomson Road circuit.
An agreement for a five-year deal was signed by Singapore GP Pte Ltd, the Singapore Tourism Board and Bernie Ecclestone. In November 2007 it was announced that the telecommunications company Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) will sponsor the event. The official name of the event will be the FORMULA 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix. The race was co-funded by the Government of Singapore, footing 60% of the total bill, or $90 million SGD, out of a total tab of $150 million SGD.
The first race held at the new Marina Bay Street Circuit was the 15th round of the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship, and was also the first night-time event in Formula One history. The timing of the night event meant that it could be broadcast live at a convenient time for European TV audiences. The track was also illuminated by a series of projectors which adapt their output to match the shape of the course. The race was won by Fernando Alonso driving for the Renault team. For the 2009 race, the circuit will be reprofiled slightly, including modifications to turns 1, 2 and 3 to aid overtaking, and also at turn 10 where high curbs caused many accidents in 2008.
Race information:
Laps 61 Circuit length 5.067 kilometre (3.148 mi) Race length 309.087 km (192.066 mi) First held 1966 Last held 2008 Most wins (drivers) Graeme Lawrence (3) Most wins (constructors) March / Mildren / Brabham / Ferrari / McLaren / Elfin / Merlyn / Lotus / Renault (1)
