Singapore GP organisers today admitted they want their race to be the Monaco of the future - the must-have race that no F1 calendar is acceptable without. Their short history has been troubled, but this year they have a weekend that appears to have all the makings of a classic Grand Prix. Assuming the weather doesn't get in the way.

Event schedule

The championship battle continues to rage, with five drivers in the hunt for the title. Any sign of weakness this weekend will narrow the field, and it's all going to take place under the bright lights of the Marina Bay circuit. Robert Kubica, meanwhile, has indicated that the lack of pressure on him will be to Renault's advantage. Whilst the drivers ahead of him may be concentrating on championship worries, he can pick up any stragglers along the way.

Friday drivers hit headlines again this week, as Lucas di Grassi will hand his Virgin Racing car over to the brand new Jérôme D'Ambrosio, whilst Paul di Resta will sit out this weekend to give the Force India drivers as much time as possible on the unusual circuit.

The track is likely to favour Red Bull, with their speed advantage, but Lewis Hamilton is sure McLaren will have caught them up since the last high downforce race. Webber and Vettel will both by vying to improve on their performance in Italy, whilst Ferrari will want to repeat their win from Monza. Alonso has won at Singapore before, but... you know. Teammate Massa has moved on to his eighth engine already this year, and the minute he takes on a ninth, he'll be subject to a hefty grid penalty. Felipe has tried to play down any concerns though, and doesn't think Ferrari are in a worse position than any of the other teams.

Support racing for this event includes Formula BMW Pacific and Porsche Carrera Cup.

The weather

Much earlier in the week, the long range forecasts were suggesting that the sessions would be dry, and whilst that could still be the case, the rain is certainly beginning to make it's presence felt. We've seen plenty of reports from those on the ground that the humidity is high and the rain is monsoon-like. We've not seen a wet session at Singapore before, so it was bound to happen eventually, and it will be interesting to see whether the reflections cause any problems.

The circuit

Singapore has a lot of corners, and features a lot of straights and low speed corners. As a street course, the track will start the weekend very green, but as each session passes, grip will improve. The circuit is demanding on tyres, and high on brake wear, and it requires concentration from start to finish.

For 2010, the track has been resurfaced in two places - between turn 3 and 7, and between turn 14 and 19. That will put pay to the excessive bumps the drivers have been complaining about for the past couple of years. Turn 10 has also been reprofiled slightly to make it a more gentle corner. More importantly, though, the walls have been painted! More colours, more advertising, no doubt, and even the run off areas are a bit more snazzy. I can't wait to see that.

Circuit map

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

Four stewards oversee a Formula 1 race weekend, two FIA stewards, together with one experienced former F1 driver and a steward representing the National Sporting Authority.

Following live

A thread will be created on Sidepodcast.com for every session and every thread is live enabled, meaning you can follow along and contribute to the conversation without refreshing the page.