Singpaore Grand Prix 2019 Preview – Sunday, September 21st, 2019
Since the mid-season break, it has been all Ferrari. Charles Leclerc has won back to back races in Belgium and Italy for Ferrari. However in the night race, stacked with humidity out in Singapore this weekend, the Ferrari’s may have less of an advantage over the Mercedes than they have had at the last couple of races. It is time for Lewis Hamilton to hit back?
Singapore Grand Prix Winner Odds 2019*
Lewis Hamilton 6/5
Max Verstappen 7/4
Chalres Leclerc 8/1
Valtteri Bottas 8/1
Alexander Albon 10/1
Setbasian Vettel 14/1
* (betting odds taken from Bet365 on September 19th, 2019 at 10:04 pm)
Will Hamilton win under the lights?
The Marina Bay Street Circuit is visually stunning under the lights at night. Lewis Hamilton has won there in the last two years. So has the form behind him. In total, the Mercedes man has claimed the Singapore Grand Prix title four times. That makes him the joint-most successful driver there alongside Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. However, with the German having plenty of problems this season, Vettel’s not likely to be in the frame for a race win like Hamilton is.
Hamilton hasn’t been able to get a win since the break-in mid-season. But he still managed to come home second behind LeClerc at the Belgian Grand Prix. He just wasn’t able to find a way past the Monegasque driver. Then Hamilton took a good third at the Italian Grand Prix last time out, despite not having the straight-line speed than the Ferrari of Leclerc did. Hamilton was aggrieved too because in trying to pull off an overtake of Leclerc for the lead, the British driver was pushed off the track.
Verstappen back in the picture
Because the straight-line speed threat of Ferrari is going to be dialled back this weekend, it brings other drivers into the frame, like Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. He needs a bit of a lift as well because he hasn’t been able to get in the top three in any of the last two races. Verstappen is battling with Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas for second place in the Drivers Championship.
He, Bottas and Leclerc all have two race wins each this season. Verstappen went from second on the grid in Singapore last year and finished there, eight seconds back of winner Hamilton. But there was a massive gap from him back to the rest of the field. You would expect a fight from Verstappen in what is one of, if not the most physically demanding race on the calendar.
A hat trick of wins for Leclerc?
Charles Leclerc is looking to make it three consecutive race wins in the 2019 calendar year in his Ferrari. That would be some accomplishment. However, the Ferrari driver is probably going to have a hard time duelling with Hamilton and Verstappen under the conditions. You look back to the other street circuit races this season in Azerbaijan and Monaco and Leclerc wasn’t in the frame either. His team mate Setsbaian Vettel was though and the German, given his good record in Singapore, may be worth a flutter to finish ahead of his fellow Ferrari driver on the weekend.
Prediction
Looking at the line up it is likely to be a straight duel between the top two from last season’s race, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. Verstappen is taking a full set of soft tyres with him for the race and that is what Hamilton drove to success last season. So the Dutch driver looks to have something special up his sleeve. For value, it may just be worth having a look at the Red Bull driver at 7/4 outright* (betting odds taken from Bet365 on September 19th, 2019 at 10:04 pm). A look at Vettel getting on the podium isn’t a bad shout either.
