The points that Oscar Piastri added after winning Last weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix McLaren have taken the lead in the constructors' championship from Red Bull, and the Formula 1 season now heads to the wet weather of the Singapore Grand Prix.
McLaren have only won on the streets of Singapore once, when the country hosted its first race in 2008, with a then-fresh-faced Lewis Hamilton finishing the weekend atop the podium.
By comparison, Red Bull's last win in the city-state was in 2022 with Sergio Perez.
The battle between the teams is very close and, with seven races remaining in the season, neither Red Bull nor McLaren can afford to make many more mistakes. Max Verstappen remains well positioned in the drivers' standings with a 59-point lead over Lando Norris, but his last victory came at the Spanish GP on June 23.
The weather will be hot. High temperatures are expected to reach 31°C with an average humidity of 70% over the weekend. Friday mornings into Sunday mornings could see scattered thunderstorms.
Latest news
Hamilton expressed concern about FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem comparing F1 drivers who swear on team radio to “rappers”, saying there was a “racial element” to the comments. Verstappen responded to the same comments by saying “are we five-year-olds?”
Perez and Carlos Sainz cleared the air following their crash last week in an “awkward” 20-minute conversation as they sat next to each other in the circuit's medical centre.
After missing the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend due to a one-race suspension, Kevin Magnussen has called on the FIA to trust drivers to compete against each other rather than hand out penalties.
Verstappen's race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase will take on a more senior role at Red Bull.
Mercedes will use a unique livery at this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix.
Daniel Ricciardo's future looks increasingly uncertain but the driver has played down suggestions that this weekend's night race will be his last in the sport.
Singapore GP Preview | Listen to the latest episode of ESPN's F1 podcast, Unlapped.
Circuit statistics and history
Since hosting the first Formula 1 night race in 2008, Singapore has become a huge favourite among fans and drivers alike.
The 3-mile circuit runs through the city centre, illuminated by 1,600 lights to allow two of the three practice sessions to be held at dusk and qualifying and the race at night.
The circuit was modified in 2023 due to construction near the bay, creating a flat-out race between Turns 14 and 16 and, new for 2024, the addition of a fourth DRS zone to facilitate overtaking.
Laps: 62 laps of 4.9 km. Total distance 306 km
Lap record: 1:35.867 Hamilton (2023)
More victories: Sebastian Vettel with five (2011-2013, 2015, 2019). Of the current grid, Hamilton has four (2009, 2014, 2017-2018), and Fernando Alonso (2008, 2010), Carlos Sainz (2023), Perez (2022) have all won here.
Most posts: Hamilton (2009, 2012, 2014, 2018) and Vettel (2011, 2013, 2015, 2017) are tied on four points. Of the current grid, Alonso (2010), Charles Leclerc (2019, 2022) and Sainz (2023) have all claimed pole here.
What happened last year?
Singapore was the only race that the dominant Red Bull team failed to win in 2023. Ferrari's Sainz emerged victorious in a three-way fight with McLaren's Norris and George Russell's Mercedes.
Russell and team-mate Hamilton, running third and fourth, looked like the quickest cars on track in the final stint, but Sainz allowed Norris to stay within DRS range so the McLaren driver could more easily fend off the Mercedes drivers.
The race ended in drama on the final lap when Russell hit the wall while trying to close on Norris and crashed out of the podium.
Who is going to win?
Much like in Baku last weekend, the Singapore Grand Prix should be wide open. McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari could be argued to be quickest around the street circuit, but after his qualifying struggles in Azerbaijan, ESPN is backing Norris as the winner.
How to watch the GP
Watch on ESPNEWS and ESPN+ (U.S. only) – see schedule.
Live coverage in the UK is on Sky Sports F1 and BBC Radio 5 Live.
For news, analysis and updates, follow the coverage with The ESPN F1 Team Nate Saunders and Laurence Edmondson in Singapore and on social media.
Friday
Free practice one: 10:30-11:30 BST
Free Practice 2: 14:00-15:00 BST
Saturday
Third free practice: 10:30-11:30 BST
Classification: 14:00-15:00 BST
Sunday
Race starts: 13:00 BST.
This is what the championships look like
There has finally been a change at the top of the standings: McLaren leads the constructors' championship by 20 points, but can they maintain that advantage?
Verstappen still holds the lead in the drivers' championship and Norris still needs a minimum of 60 points to overtake him.
Classification | Calendar | Teams
