PIASTRI F1 COLUMN: THE SEASON HEATS UP IN SINGAPORE

Piastri’s pre Singapore column as published in Auto Action magazine issue 1869 on sale September 7, 2023.

Remarkably, we have already done 14 F1 races and now only have eight races remaining on the calendar. My debut season has absolutely flown by in the blink of an eye with Singapore coming up. 

The next challenge is the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore, a race known as one of the most demanding for the drivers. 

I’ve never raced there before so it’s another new one for me after tracks like Melbourne, Miami, Montréal and Zandvoort. I’m gradually ticking them off. 

Singapore is going to be a hot one. In the cockpit, it can reach up to 60 degrees Celsius with 80% humidity and the race regularly runs for two hours. There are plenty of heavy-braking areas and lots of corners to contend with too, so there is absolutely no let-up whatsoever. 

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri chat ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix. Photo by Steven Tee / LAT Images

I’m expecting to lose several kilograms of bodyweight in sweat by the end of the race so could be looking considerably different when I finish to how I started. 

It’s also a street track so any mistake or brush with the walls will end in tears, like at Monaco or Jeddah. Your concentration levels as well as your physical fitness must be super high. 

It’s therefore a case of making sure that you get your preparation right. Usually, we would not do specific training for a particular race. We do a lot of training in pre-season to set us up for the season and then just top those fitness levels up at various points. 

Oscar Piastri in action at Monza. Photo by Simon Galloway / LAT Images

However, Singapore is a different beast, and the majority of the drivers will be doing humidity training to try and get used to performing in those conditions. It’s not pretty but it has to be done. 

Nutrition and hydration are also massively important for this one, so I’ll have special plans built up in advance so that I’m in the right shape at the right moment. 

I think if you can take on Singapore, you can pretty much take on any of the races from a physical perspective. 

Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo racing under the Singapore lights last year. Photo by Sam Bloxham / LAT Images)

It’s going to be a cool race for me off-track as I’ll be able to have some friends and family over from Australia. There aren’t many races near my neck of the woods (I say ‘near’ loosely) but it’s about a seven or eight-hour plane journey across so it’s more manageable for them to come and watch me in the flesh. 

I think there is usually quite a big Aussie contingent in the grandstands too for this race so I’m looking forward to seeing, hearing and meeting plenty of Aussies on the ground over there. 

It’s going to be a strange one as all the teams and timings stay on European time which mean we will be having breakfast at night and our evening meal in the morning. 

I will actually be having a special race helmet design for this one. I’ve come up with a little play on my usual helmet so without giving too much away, you should be able to pick me out during the night race. 

Because of how technical the designs, production, painting and logistics around specials are, we usually have to finalise them around 5-6 weeks before the race so this is actually one that I settled on during the shutdown. 

Let me know what you make of it when I reveal it over in Singapore. 

Things really start motoring now with eight flyaway races in 10 and a bit weeks, so plenty of more new tracks for me and plenty to give you some insight into in my next column. 

First though, I’ve got my hands full with Singapore, as you are now well aware.

Take care, OP

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