2009 Singapore Grand Prix Preview

Night Race is Round 14 of the Formula 1 World Championship

Sep 13, 2009

Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello will continue their F1 title fight at the Singapore night race. Meanwhile, Renault and Nelson Piquet are at war with each other.

Jenson Button still leads the Formula 1 title chase going into the Singapore Grand Prix but his Brawn GP team-mate Rubens Barrichello continues to close the gap. Despite a thrilling title fight the focus ahead of the Singapore night race is on the controversy surrounding Nelson Piquet, Flavio Briatore, Pat Symonds and Renault.

Piquet, Alonso and Renault in 2008 Singapore GP Controversy

The main talking point in Formula 1 ahead of the 2009 Singapore Grand Prix is the outcome of the race held there last year. Fernando Alonso scored an unexpected win for Renault, after benefiting from a safety car which was deployed when his team-mate Nelson Piquet crashed.

Following Piquet's dismissal from the Renault Formula 1 team after this year's Hungarian Grand Prix the Brazilian has accused the team of asking him to crash deliberately in Singapore last year. He has pointed the finger at team boss Flavio Briatore and executive director Pat Symonds. Renault will go before the World Motor Sports Council on September 21st to answer the accusations.

2009 Singapore Grand Prix Weather Forecast and Statistics

2009 Singapore GP weather forecast: rain showers on Friday and Saturday, sunny on race day.

2009 Singapore Formula 1 Form Guide

The battle for the 2009 Formula 1 World Championship appears to be between Brawn GP team-mates Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello. Red Bull, their main title rivals, had a miserable Monza weekend. Mark Webber retired on lap one and Sebastian Vettel only managed to score a single point.

Ferrari, McLaren and Force India should also be in the mix in Singapore. Kimi Raikkonen drove a solid race at Monza to finish third, albeit aided by Lewis Hamilton's last lap crash. Raikkonen has now scored 30 points out of a possible 40 in the last four races. BMW Sauber suffered engine problems during the Italian Grand Prix weekend and will be hoping for a change of fortune in Singapore.

Force India's Adrian Sutil was left to rue a mistake he made when entering his pit for his second stop at Monza. The delay allowed Raikkonen to emerge ahead of him, despite the Finn also having a problematic pit stop. Vitantonio Liuzzi showed no sign of rustiness after a long absence from Formula 1 racing and ran well in the other Force India before retiring.

Toyota failed to impress once again in Italy, culminating in a comical fight between Timo Glock and Jarno Trulli in the race which left Trulli's car skipping across a gravel trap before rejoining. Williams also had a weekend to forget, but Nico Rosberg has fond memories of Singapore after finishing second there last year.

The Singapore Grand Prix takes place at night on an illuminated 23 corner street circuit. The race is sure to produce plenty of action as racing at night presents a unique challenge for the Formula 1 drivers.

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