Audi Revolut F1 heads to Singapore looking to turn two near misses into a points finish. The third and final stop of the Asian triple-header brings the team to Marina Bay for a night race and the final Sprint event of the season. After losing a points position on the last lap in both Baku and Sepang, Audi has shown it can contend for the top ten, but has yet to convert that recent pace into a result.
Nico Hülkenberg finished 11th at Sepang after running as high as ninth in the closing stages, while Gabriel Bortoleto’s race was compromised by contact at the restart. Singapore offers another opportunity to get back into the points.
The Sprint format adds to that work, with limited practice time before competitive sessions begin. Hülkenberg and Bortoleto will have opportunities to score on both Saturday and Sunday, but finding a workable setup early will be key.
Away from the track, Singapore is also a significant showcase for Audi. The R26 will carry a special livery, accompanied by matching race suits and an adidas capsule collection, while the team’s citywide programme spans food, fashion, community sport, retail, entertainment and public viewing. Those activities give Audi a larger presence throughout race week; a return to the points would provide the on-track result to match.
SCHEDULE
| DAY/DATE | ACTIVITY | TRACK TIME | CET | EST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 09 Oct | Practice 1 | 16:30-17:30 | 10:30-11:30 | 4:30 AM – 5:30 AM |
| Fri 09 Oct | Sprint Qualifying | 20:30-21:14 | 14:30-15:14 | 8:00 AM -9:14 AM |
| Sat 10 Oct | Sprint Race | 17:00-18:00 | 11:00-12:00 | 5:00 AM – 6:00 AM |
| Sat 10 Oct | Qualifying | 21:00-22:00 | 15:00-16:00 | 9:00 AM -10:00 AM |
| Sun 11 Oct | Grand Prix | 20:00 | 14:00 | 12:00 AM |
RACE INFORMATION
AUDI REVOLUT F1 | FORMULA 1 SERIES | OFFICIAL SINGAPORE GP WEBSITE | GRAND PRIX EVENTS
CIRCUIT
MARINA BAY STREET CIRCUIT
Singapore’s Marina Bay Street Circuit has been Formula 1’s original night-race venue since its debut in 2008, combining a floodlit city backdrop with a demanding street layout. The current 4.927-kilometer circuit hosts a 62-lap Grand Prix covering 305.337 kilometers, with close walls, bumpy braking zones and repeated slow corners placing a premium on precision, traction and confidence under braking. The race lap record stands at 1:33.808, set by Lewis Hamilton in 2025. This year’s Sprint format adds another complication: practice and the Sprint take place before sunset, giving teams conditions that differ from those they will face in qualifying and Sunday’s race.
Racing after dark offers little relief from Singapore’s tropical conditions, making Marina Bay one of the calendar’s toughest physical tests. Humidity can reach 80 percent and cockpit temperatures can exceed 60 degrees Celsius, while the circuit’s stop-and-start rhythm gives drivers few opportunities to recover. Relatively low average speeds and potential Safety Car interruptions can also push the race toward the two-hour limit, demanding sustained concentration as fatigue builds. For Audi’s drivers, arriving directly from another hot weekend at Sepang, managing that workload will be part of the challenge of maintaining consistent pace and avoiding mistakes.
PIRELLI TIRE PREVIEW
Formula 1 remains in Asia for the Singapore Grand Prix, a weekend that will also host the final Sprint of the season and bring to a close a long triple-header that began in Baku. For the Marina Bay circuit, home to one of the most physically demanding races of the year for the drivers, Pirelli will bring the same tyre allocation used twelve months ago: C3 as Hard, C4 as Medium and C5 as Soft.
The 4.940-kilometre track features the typical characteristics of a street circuit, with barriers close to the racing line and limited overtaking opportunities. However, the changes introduced in 2023 to the third sector increased the number of high-speed sections, making the lap smoother and faster than in the past. Despite the presence of some straights, the circuit remains defined by numerous braking and traction phases thanks to its 19 corners, allowing modern power units to recover energy throughout the lap.
Marina Bay has a medium-to-high level of surface roughness for a street circuit, both in terms of macro- and micro-roughness. As no resurfacing work has been carried out, values are expected to be broadly in line with last season’s, if not slightly higher. Track evolution will be significant over the course of the weekend. Intermittent rainfall, typical of the equatorial climate, will also influence grip levels and can alter conditions from one session to the next.
As is well known, the race takes place at night, with track temperatures ranging between 30 and 35 °C. Under these conditions, the tyres tend to operate within their working window without any particular overheating concerns. Mechanical stress is not especially high and the expected degradation will mainly be linked to the normal performance drop-off of the rear axle during traction phases. Graining and wear are also not expected to become limiting factors in race management.
For these reasons, from a strategic perspective Singapore remains one of the races in which a one-stop strategy is the preferred option for teams, also considering the time lost in the pit lane and the frequent likelihood of neutralisations. While Hard and Medium are once again expected to be the reference compounds for the race, this year the Soft could receive greater consideration on Sunday from more than one team.
The softest compound in the range has demonstrated at Budapest, Monza and Baku, where it was used, that it allows drivers to maintain a strong pace thanks to limited degradation, while also offering an advantage in terms of grip and confidence behind the wheel. These characteristics could prove even more valuable on a circuit such as Singapore, which is also known for its significant track evolution.
The latest-generation cars also appear to make better use of the softer compounds. Aerodynamic load, more effective temperature management and the formulation of the current compounds allow the softer end of the range to be used for longer and more competitive stints than in the past. With this in mind, it would come as no surprise to see the red-sidewalled tyre used in Saturday’s Sprint or, more generally, to witness more extensive use of the C5 throughout the weekend, encouraged by the Sprint format itself.
SANCTIONS FROM BAHRAIN
Audi’s Bahrain Grand Prix weekend at Sepang included two separate sanctions. Gabriel Bortoleto received a 10-second time penalty for contact with Carlos Sainz, an incident that also damaged his R26 and left him unable to recover into contention. Having qualified tenth and made progress after switching to intermediate tyres, Bortoleto saw that promising start unravel. He subsequently accepted responsibility for the collision, which compromised both drivers’ races.
Audi also received a financial penalty for an unsafe release of Nico Hülkenberg during a pit stop, with part of the fine suspended for 12 months provided there is no similar incident during that period. That sanction was separate from Hülkenberg’s eventual loss of tenth place: Arvid Lindblad overtook him on the final lap, leaving Audi without points for the second consecutive race. Heading into Singapore, the weekend reinforced the importance of clean execution alongside the pace improvements shown by the team’s recent upgrade package.
TEAM RACE PREVIEW
Audi Revolut F1 Team heads to Singapore for the third and final leg of the Asian triple-header. Racing under the lights at Marina Bay, the weekend brings Formula One to one of the most unique stops on the calendar, in the final Sprint event of the season. After coming close to the points in both Baku and Sepang, the team will be working hard to make the step back into the top ten.
Away from the track, a race-week programme spanning food, fashion, community sport, retail, entertainment and public viewing will offer fans across Singapore new ways to connect with the team throughout the weekend in some of the city’s most iconic locations.
TEAM QUOTES
Allan McNish, Racing Director
“It comes as no surprise that the fight to be at the top of the midfield is as close as ever. We have seen some of the rivals farther back make steps forward, and now it’s a big battle at every race. We have faced challenges in both Baku and Sepang, missing out on points the final lap on both occasions, and that goes to show you have to deliver and execute a perfect weekend if you want to come away with something. The important thing now is to keep pushing and find that little extra in Singapore to get ourselves back into the points. We are confident in our team, and we know we can be competitive everywhere. With this being a Sprint event, it’ll be crucial to get things right from the very beginning. It’s been a long, demanding three weeks for everyone across the team, so we are looking forward to finishing the triple-header with a strong result.”
Nico Hulkenberg, Car #27
“Singapore always has a unique buzz around it. It’s one of the highlights on the calendar and a big weekend for Audi this year with the special livery, race suits and everything the team has going on across the city. There’s a great energy around the whole week, and hopefully we can give everyone something to cheer about on track as well.
“I’ve always liked Sprint weekends because they get straight to the point, and I enjoy that. We’ve had a few encouraging moments over the last couple of races, but we also know there’s still work to do. Hopefully we can put together a solid weekend and make the most of what we’ve got.”
Gabriel Bortoleto, Car #5
“The last couple of races haven’t given us the results we wanted, but there were still some positives to take with us. Our aim is to carry what we learned into Singapore and have a solid weekend. It’s a quite unique place, so it’s nice to be back. We’ve been consistently around the fight for points recently, so we’ll try to put everything together and give ourselves another chance in Saturday’s Sprint and again in the race on Sunday. I’m ready to get back in the car and keep pushing.”
PHOTO GALLERY
