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The Singapore GP lap record was set in 2018 by a HAAS Formula 1 car. With the street circuit only being used for one weekend each year to host the Grand Prix, the only other cars that have set fastest laps around Marina Bay are the F1 support series.
This article looks at the lap record, fastest lap times and top speeds around the Singapore GP circuit.
Contents
Race laps or Qualifying laps?
For a lap record to become official it must have been set during a race. Lap times set during either practice or qualifying sessions don’t count as official lap records.
However, lap times set in qualifying are often faster than those set in the race. During qualifying cars are set up for ultimate one-lap pace. This means they have minimum fuel and brand new tyres. Their engine’s performance will be cranked up to 11 to maximise the car’s speed for that one all-important quali lap.
During a race the cars will be on older, worn tyres and will be carrying more fuel, so it’s unlikely that they’ll ever go quicker in a race than in qualifying.
Singapore GP lap record
The Singapore GP lap record is 1:41.905 set by Kevin Magnussen driving the HAAS VF-18 F1 car during the 2018 Grand Prix.
This is the official lap record for the circuit and for F1 cars. It was set during a race so it’s official, but it’s not actually the fastest ever lap of the Marina Bay street circuit.
Lewis Hamilton set the fastest ever lap time around the Singapore GP circuit with a 1:36.015, set during qualifying for the 2018 Singapore Grand Prix driving the Mercedes W09 F1 car.
This is one of the most incredible qualifying laps ever, watch it for yourself here. Lewis himself said it felt magical.
The difference between the official lap record and the unofficial fastest ever lap around the Singapore GP circuit is almost 6 seconds. That goes to show just how much faster the F1 cars are when set up for qualifying.
Can the Singapore GP lap record be beaten?
For 2023 onwards the Singapore GP layout is going to change. A couple of corners are going to be removed, as is the Bay Grandstand, and that section of track is going to be replaced with a long straight. This will make the circuit shorter and faster.
It’s predicted that lap times are going to be much quicker, dipping below the 1 minute 30 second mark and getting closer to 1 minute 27 seconds if the conditions are right.
So Kevin Magnussen’s lap record cannot technically be broken as the drivers won’t race on that layout again. But the new circuit layout is going to see much faster lap times.
Check out our guide to the Singapore F1 tickets if you want to see the cars in action at Marina Bay first hand.
Singapore GP fastest lap times - F1
Below is a list of the fastest F1 lap times set both during the race and during qualifying at the Singapore GP. The list only goes back to 2013, as that was the first year the circuit layout was changed to remove the ‘Singapore Sling’ chicane from Turn 10.
The race didn’t run in 2020 or 2021 due to COVID-19.
| Year | Fastest lap - Race | Fastest lap - Qualifying |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 |
Russell – 1:46.458 |
Leclerc – 1:49.412 |
| 2019 |
Magnussen – 1:42.301 |
Hamilton – 1:36.217 |
| 2018 |
Magnussen – 1:41.905 |
Hamilton – 1:36.015 |
| 2017 |
Hamilton – 1:45.008 |
Vettel - 1:39.491 |
| 2016 |
Ricciardo – 1:47.187 |
Rosberg - 1:42.584 |
| 2015 |
Ricciardo – 1:50.041 |
Vettel – 1:43.885 |
| 2014 |
Hamilton – 1:50.417 |
Hamilton – 1:45.681 |
| 2013 |
Vettel – 1:48.574 |
Vettel – 1:42.841 |
As the list shows there’s a big difference in lap times from year to year. The reason is mainly down to the changeable weather conditions that Singapore always faces. Qualifying and the race are often held in the rain which slows down lap times considerably.
Singapore GP F1 top speed
The top speed reached by an F1 car around the Singapore GP circuit is 328kph / 203.8mph, achieved by Nico Hulkenberg driving for the Renault F1 team in 2019.
This top speed was achieved in the first Singapore DRS Zone, at the end of the long straight just before the braking zone for Turn 7. Hulkenberg would have had DRS activated and would have used the slipstream of the car in front to reach that speed.
Singapore GP F1 average speed
The Marina Bay street circuit is one of the slowest tracks on the F1 calendar, with not many long straights and lots of tight, technical corners.
If we look at Kevin Magnussen’s lap record as an example, his average speed over that lap was 175kph / 109mph.
The highest average speed around one lap of the Singapore GP circuit is 185kph / 115mph, set by Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes W09 on his pole-position qualifying lap in 2018.
W-Series Singapore GP lap record
In 2022 the W Series raced at the Singapore Grand Prix circuit as one of the support races to the F1. The W Series lap record at the Marina Bay street circuit is 2:13.986 set by Alice Powell.
This is faster than the quickest W-Series qualifying lap time as the quali session took place in the rain.
Porsche Carrera Cup Singapore GP lap record
The Porsche Carrera Cup series has supported the F1 on numerous occasions at the Singapore Grand Prix.
The Porsche Carrera Cup lap record at the Marina Bay street circuit is 2:17.760 set by Will Bamber during the 2019 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia race.
GT3 Singapore GP lap record
The Thailand Super Series (TSS) GT3 championship has been a support race during the F1 weekend at Singapore for a number of years. The cars in this championship are all GT3 spec.
The GT3 lap record around the Singapore GP circuit is 2:16.137 set by Kantasak Kusiri driving a Mercedes AMG GT3 Evo in the Thailand Super Series race in 2022.
