This week's Singapore Grand Prix is often met with a complex range of emotions - it's a gorgeous location, hosts F1's original night race, and provides a unique and interesting challenge for drivers, teams, and paddock members alike. But the racing can leave a lot to be desired and that is, after all, what we're tuning in for. There's always hope but we can only wait and see what the weekend will deliver.

Event schedule

The last race was an eventful one, with Monza providing the scene for the moment where Lewis Hamilton took command of the 2017 championship for the first time. Although it's still anyone's guess who will be the titleholder come the end of the year, the momentum has been firmly in Mercedes' corner as they continue to outdevelop Ferrari.

The Scuderia had something of a disastrous weekend on their home turf, but they should fare better here. The struggles they had will hopefully be diminished in Singapore so we can see a good fight. There may be engine penalties up and down the grid once more though, as we get to the latter stages of the season. Hopefully they won't affect the grid too much as this is one race where your starting position is absolutely crucial to your result.

Meanwhile, as a massive distraction for anyone in the paddock, the Honda engine saga continues - with plenty of talk about who Sainz will be driving for, who Alonso will be powered by, and what next year's grid will look like when completed.

Support racing for this event includes Ferrari Challenge and Porsche Carrera Cup Asia.

Expected conditions

Singapore's night race means weather conditions are changeable and totally different to the rest of the season. The weather during the day is hot and humid, but temperatures will drop considerably come race day. There's also thunderstorms on the cards, with both Friday practice and Sunday racing forecast to be affected by inclement weather.

Circuit history

Singapore still hosts a relatively new event, this year will be the tenth running of the race, so well done Marina Bay for getting to double figures. Pole position is the most important of the year, with seven of the nine winners so far having taken victory from pole. You can make up places when there are chaotic incidents, but overtaking is tricky and safety car periods are frequent.

The lack of support racing round the streets of Singapore means rookie racers tend to appear at the event with no experience under their belts - both Lance Stroll and Stoffel Vandoorne have not yet raced on the Marina Bay track.

The layout of the circuit doesn't change, with its lengthy sprawling footprint and very similar corners, but there have been some safety tweaks. Additional barrier segments have been installed around the track, the pit wall has been moved away from the garages to allow more space inside, and there's been several resurfacing works completed around the track as well.

Tyre compounds

The tyre choices have gone a step harder than they were in Monza, with the focus now on long, twisting street circuits. It's a slow lap, just like Monaco, but has the heat and humidity as well as the fluctuations in temperature that come from a night race. Two stops are predicted, but three stops can be viable during the long race.

The wisdom of Mario Isola, motorsport chief at Pirelli, is focused on how important tyre changes may be during the grand prix: "Singapore is always one of the most exciting and unpredictable races of the year, in which pit stop strategy often plays a crucial role in the outcome: also because of the near certainty of a safety car at some point during the arduous two hours."

Selected tyre sets per driver

Lewis Hamilton	2	2	9
Valtteri Bottas	1	3	9
Daniel Ricciardo	1	2	10
Max Verstappen	1	2	10
Sebastian Vettel	2	1	10
Kimi Räikkönen	1	2	10
Sergio Pérez	1	2	10
Esteban Ocon	1	2	10
Felipe Massa	1	2	10
Lance Stroll	1	2	10
Fernando Alonso	1	2	10
Stoffel Vandoorne	1	2	10
Carlos Sainz	1	3	9
Daniil Kvyat	1	3	9
Romain Grosjean	1	4	8
Kevin Magnussen	1	4	8
Nico Hülkenberg	1	2	10
Jolyon Palmer	1	2	10
Pascal Wehrlein	2	2	9
Marcus Ericsson	1	2	10

Press conference schedule

Official press conferences are organised by the FIA and happen four times during the weekend. The qualifying and post race press conferences will take place after the television unilateral interviews.

Race stewards

The FIA stewarding process includes a former F1 driver to offer added insight. These stewards are overseeing the weekend's action.