The first of three Formula 1 rounds in October begins with the Singapore GP, raced on the street circuit set against the spectacular skyline of the Asian city.
The track is called the Marina Bay Street Circuit because it winds through the district of the same name overlooking the bay.
It was inaugurated in 2008 and has been on the calendar ever since, except in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.
The GP data
According to Brembo technicians working closely with all Formula 1 teams, the 4.940-meter Marina Bay Street Circuit falls into the category of tracks that are highly demanding on brakes.
On a scale from 1 to 5, it earns a difficulty index of 4, as brakes are used 11 times per lap for over 17 seconds: 5 Hard braking zones, 3 Medium, and 3 Light.
In 7 corners, drivers experience deceleration of over 4 g and apply more than 125 kg of force on the brake pedal.
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The toughest corner
The most demanding corner for the braking system at the Marina Bay Street Circuit is Turn 7, known as “Memorial” because of its proximity to the World War II civilian victims memorial. Cars approach it at 308 km/h and slow down to 128 km/h in 1.9 seconds, covering 96 meters.
In this phase, drivers experience a deceleration of 4.9 g and apply 151 kg of force on the brake pedal.
The braking power reaches 2,542 kW.
The crowning moment
After missing its first match point in Baku, McLaren could clinch the Constructors’ Championship this weekend.
With 623 points, the team holds a 333-point lead over Mercedes and 337 over Ferrari.
With 4 standard weekends and 3 Sprint weekends remaining, a total of 346 points are still up for grabs.
As a result, McLaren can secure the title with just 13 points: a podium finish would suffice, as would a 4th place combined with a 10th, a 5th–8th pairing, or even a 6th–7th finish.
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The first time?
Max Verstappen has won 67 Grands Prix, always relying on Brembo calipers, and has triumphed on 26 different circuits.
There are, however, 6 tracks where he has never stood on the top step of the podium—among them Singapore, where he has raced 8 times without a victory, although he has only retired once. The Dutchman is in outstanding form, as shown by his recent wins in Monza and Baku. Could a third be on the way?
The 2017 revolution
In the last 15 years, the only driver to win in Singapore without starting from the first two rows was Lewis Hamilton in 2017.
That year saw the introduction of wider-tread tires, along with increased wing width and length.
To adapt to the new cars, Brembo increased the thickness of the carbon discs from 28 to 32 mm, allowing an additional 200 ventilation holes per disc, bringing the total to 1,400. These solutions were necessary to handle a 25% increase in braking torque.