Organisers of the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix have seemingly confirmed changes to the Marina Bay circuit for 2023.
As first reported by Speedcafe.com, construction work on The Float @ Marina Bay area of the circuit, namely Turns 16 through 19, will render that area unusable from March 2023 (delayed from 2022).
A map published on the event’s official website has revealed the new route that straight-lines the section altogether.
As a result, the famed grandstand the cars pass under will no longer be a feature of the circuit.
It’s likely the revised layout will be a permanent solution too, as the all-new NS Square project replaces The Float @ Marina Bay which has occupied that space.
According to Singapore’s Ministry of National Development and Ministry of Defence, which is leading the redevelopment, the space will replace the current grandstand and floating platform with an area designed for live events such as concerts, sporting activities, and others.
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There will also be a water sports facility in the complex, and a gallery that “showcases Singapore’s National Service story in a mix of open and enclosed exhibition spaces.”
Construction is not scheduled to complete until the end of 2026.
The broader impact of the change will be a reduction in both circuit length – and therefore likely an increase in the number of laps – and a decrease in lap time.
It is not the first time the Marina Bay circuit will have been modified, with changes made to the ‘Singapore Sling’ on multiple occasions, and realignment work on the approach to the Anderson Bridge midway around the lap.
This will, however, be the most significant and visible given the removal of the high-profile grandstand.
It will also require homologation by the FIA, though that is unlikely to be an issue.
While the cars will now approach the final right-left chicane at a higher speed, there is space for the runoff to be increased in length.
It is at that right-hander that the Formula 1 layout leaves the public roads (Raffles Avenue) and turns onto the purpose-built section of the circuit, rejoining at Turn 3.
However, Raffles Avenue continues beyond where the circuit parts ways, looping around behind the Singapore Flyer and the back of the F1 paddock.
As a result, it would logically be a case of extending the run-off area in much the same manner as Turn 7 is managed.
Formula 1 this year was supported by the Thailand Super Series and W Series, the former of which was housed between the current Turns 19 and 20, joining the track via Temasek Avenue, immediately prior to the final complex.
W Series meanwhile was shoehorned into the space inside Turn 5 which is typically a car park, with access especially difficult over the grand prix weekend.
In previous years, the multi-story car park on the outside of Turn 5 has been used for support categories.
Next year’s Singapore Grand Prix will take place on September 17, a week prior to the Japanese Grand Prix.
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