This weekend’s returning SIngapore Grand Prix will see drivers pushed to their mental and physical limits, with the race being profoundly known as arguably the most demanding on the Formula 1 calendar.
The race at the Marina Bay Circuit returns this weekend for the first time since 2019, following the Coronavirus pandemic, meaning a number of drivers are in for a wake-up call when they venture out onto the track which offers no rest throughout the lap.
Charles Leclerc‘s trainer, Andrea Ferrari, has given an insight into what makes the circuit so demanding, with Ferrari revealing the “driver can never take a breather”.
“On the current Formula 1 calendar, Singapore is the most demanding track. It’s a traditional street circuit with the walls punishing the slightest lack of concentration. Furthermore, there are no long straights, so the driver can never take a breather, as it is only in a straight line that the heartbeat can slow down a bit to give the athlete a break.
“Making the situation even more challenging is the Singapore climate, with very high temperatures and levels of humidity. This compromises thermoregulation, the body’s ability to dissipate heat. The drivers sweat a lot and so lose mineral salts and calcium, essential for muscle function which in turn affects physical performance on track”.
With the race being so gruelling for all the drivers, it’s vital that they prepare properly. Ferrari explained how it’s possible to lose “up to three kilos” during the entirety of the race, which typically goes beyond the two-hour time limit.
“Over the Singapore Grand Prix race distance, a driver can lose up to three kilos in weight and that can lead to a significant drop in performance. To overcome this, the athlete must remain hydrated constantly throughout the race.
“To help them get through the weekend in the best possible shape, one aims to get to Singapore as early as possible to adapt to the climate and to carry out some training sessions in these extreme conditions, having started that programme in the previous weeks, with the aid of saunas to simulate the heat and humidity of the city”.
The Singapore GP is also one of the most exciting night races of the championship, which interestingly means drivers’ body clocks aren’t badly affected. The late start time in the Asian country means drivers can continue to live off European time, something that makes the weekend less “psychologically” challenging.
“This is the easiest aspect of the weekend to manage: the drivers’ schedules mean they stay on European time, arriving at the track late in the afternoon and leaving in the early hours of the morning. Physically and psychologically, this race is much more straightforward than the following weekend’s race in Japan, when the drivers will have to get back onto local time”.