The first night race on the F1 calendar, Singapore has quickly become established as one of the grand prix on the calendar. Although the days are hot and balmy, the termperature does drop a bit for the night sessions, plus the cars running under lights gives a 'party atmosphere'.
Singapore is a tight and twisty circuit, the Monaco of the orient, not just in track layout. The first few corners present a challenge to the starting grid as the left-right-left suckers drivers into thinking they may be able to make a pass stick when cars a bunched up together.
The long straight following turn 5 provides good opportunity for getting a tow and putting a pass on into turn 7, especially as there is some run-off room if you get it wrong.
The 'Signapore Sling' turn 10 is also a passing opportunity if the car you're following doesn't get out of turn 9 as well, but be careful of cars bouncing across the curbs, as this is common practice and if wrong can result in a spin or a broken front wing or both.
Turn 13 is deceptively tight and it's very easy to understeer into the wall, but again a good exit is paramount for the straight that follows, to defend your position into turn 14.
The next 'tricky' corner is turn 18, where the cars go under a building. It's easy to approach the turn to quickly and understeer into the edge of the wall and get 'stuck' in the small run-off area, requring a 10 point turn. There's no 'simple' boucing off the wall there.
Lap Guide
Turn 1, 2, 3, 4: Brake at 80m and start turning in just before 50m, aiming to run over the orange marker at the apex. Run over the inside green astro turf and curbing on turn 2. At end of the curb turn left and brake again for turn three, holding a tight light and running over the edge of the orange marker. Hold the inside so you stay away from the wall and so you can get on the power earlier and accelarate (not 100%) while you're still turning and heading toward the wall on the right.
Turn 5: Brake at about 70m, nice and early and in 3rd gear so you get a good tight line through the corner. This corner is very important because it's preceeding the longest straight (ignoring turn 6).
Turn 7: Brake at 90-100m and shift down to 3rd. Run wide over the curbing to get maximum corner speed and get on the throttle earlier.
Turn 8: Brake hard at 50m and tap the brake again while you're turning to help rotate the car through the corner.
Turn 9: Brake at 50m, running over the inside curbing and staying in 3rd gear.
Turn 10: Brake at 100m. Start turning when you get to the first curbing on the left. You should be able to ride through the curbs here, bouncing over them. There is another way through, staying hard right and driving around the curbs, leaving them all to your left. You miss them all and don't get penalised but you run a greater risk of getting it wrong and understeering into the wall. Also will leave yourself open for an overtake if you do that in a race.
Turn 11, 12: Shift down to 2nd and run over the curbing on the inside of the turn before turning left and doing the same for turn 12.
Turn 13: Start braking at 50m and stick to the right as the car slows. I like to rotate my car just before the the apex by gently tapping the brakes again. This brings it tighter around and keeps me away from the wall on the right. You can see it action in the video.
Turn 14: Brake at 100m and get the car slowed down to 2nd gear and turn in to clip the curb at apex and then let the car run wide over the curbing on the track out.
Turn 15, 16; I make 15 part of 16 come from out on the right and aim for just beyond the 100m sign (95m maybe). Then brake at about 80m and try and stick to the left wall before turning in at 40m. I aim to hit the orange marker with my car pretty much parellel with it's direction, which also has me aimed up perfectly for turn 17.
Turn 17: Aim for the orange marker and hold a tight line, aiming for the wall. You want the car to be rotated round more so you can get on the gas and deal with the natural understeer that'll come from the accellerating car.
Turn 18, 19: Brake at about 60m and down to 2nd almost rolling through this corner and through turn 19 where you again aim for the orange marker.
Turn 20, 21: Leave your braking and turn in late. You want to rotate the car quickly because the apex is late, as indicated by the orange marker. Taking this late apex will mean you won't need to brake again for turn 21 and you can accelarate earlier, aiming for it's orange marker.
Turn 22, 23: Brake and shift down to 3rd and 50m, swinging the car in, again hitting the orange marker. Don't straighten the wheel and you don't want to drift right out to the outside of the track. Turn in for 23 and try and straigten it out as much as possible.