2024 Singapore GP Outright Betting Preview – JP
2024 Singapore GP Betting Preview
The Azerbaijan GP was a bloodbath for the bookies. James Punt cleaned up and he is hoping for more of the same this weekend. Check out his 2024 Singapore GP betting preview and tips below.
2024 Singapore GP
It was nearly a clean sweep in Azerbaijan and while Leclerc’s failure to convert pole into a win was frustrating, but it was still a 10.27 point profit over the weekend. The YTD profit is now 71.25. We are on a roll and this weekend’s Singapore GP looks like another opportunity to add to the profits.
The 2024 Singapore GP Track
We move from one street circuit to another, the Singapore GP around the Marina Bay circuit. This a shorter lap than Azerbaijan but quite long for a street circuit at just under 5km. It is not as fast as Azerbaijan, but it is faster than Monaco.
The similarities with last week’s circuit in Baku are that both feature a lot of short duration corners. There are nineteen corners and nine are the same kind of 90 degree corners that we saw last weekend. It is very likely that the form from Baku will stand up well here.
Night Race
This is a night race, the original night race, and it is quite the spectacle. It has also been the scene of some very high attrition rate races and the average is 4.125 per race. The trend in 2024 is for low attrition rate races, with an average of 1.59. Even last week’s race saw just one not classified, but Sainz and Perez both failed to finish the race after their late crash.
The configuration was changed last year, to accommodate building work. The number of corners was reduced from twenty three to nineteen, but this is still a very physically demanding race. The heat and humidity will see the drivers lose around three kilos during the race, so the drivers’ fitness will be tested.
To try and help with overtaking, the track will feature not three, but four DRS zones, more than any other track on the calendar.
2024 Singapore GP: Weather Watch
The weather in Singapore is always hot and humid. This weekend is no exception. Friday will see thunderstorms early in the day, but improving as the day goes on. First practice starts at 17.30 local time, FP2 21.00, so we should get away with dry sessions.
Saturday is a mirror image of Friday and raceday will see more cloud but again, earlier thunderstorms should have cleared by the time the race starts at 20.00 local time. It will be around 32 degrees all weekend and will feel warmer due to the humidity. Showers cannot be ruled out in this part of the world, but the race has tended to be dry over the years.
Ferrari To The Fore Again?
It is clear that Ferrari have a car that is very quick on street circuits with lots of short duration corners. We know that McLaren have a car that is quick everywhere, and those two teams are likely to fighting it out for the win again this weekend.
Ferrari have a very good record in qualifying around the Marina Bay circuit. They have taken pole here for the last three races and also in 2017 and 2015. Charles Leclerc took pole in 2019 and 2022 (no races here in 2020 and 2021), Carlos Sainz in 2023, and Vettel in 2017 and 2015.
Azerbaijan Form
Last weekend saw Ferrari get the pole position, as they had done in Monaco. That Leclerc could not convert that into a win was down to set up choices. Ferrari set the car up to be quick in the technical sector, McLaren with a little less downforce to be faster on the straights.
Ferrari got the better lap time, but in the end, McLaren had the slightly faster race car. There was only one real overtaking opportunity and that was at the end of the long straight, into turn one.
The McLaren was just a little faster at the end of the straight, and that combined with the DRS, enabled Piastri to overtake Leclerc, but Leclerc was not able to do the same thing as the Ferrari didn’t quite have the top speed due to having a little more downforce. There was very little in it but in the end, the McLaren’s better tyre wear ended any chance for Leclerc to win.
Sainz And Perez
Others to have gone well in Baku were Sainz and Perez. Yes, they crashed on the penultimate lap, but they were on course to pass Leclerc for a podium finish. Perez is a Baku specialist, but his record in Singapore is not as special. He did win in 2022, but that was his only podium.
Sainz won here last year and was third in 2022. Williams got both cars into Q3 and a double points finish. Alonso was always around the top 10 mark.
Those that didn’t go well were the two Mercedes’ drivers. They just cannot get a handle on their tyre temps and their performance is all over the place. Verstappen doesn’t go well in Baku and while he looked in better form on Friday, he tinkered with the car’s set up and lost his way for qualifying, and that was locked in for the race. He has never won in Singapore and that doesn’t bode well for his chances this weekend.
2024 Singapore GP: Team-by-Team
McLaren
Now leading the Constructors’ Championship by twenty points from Red Bull and fifty one from Ferrari. In the Drivers’ Championship, Norris only closed the gap to Verstappen by three and the Dutchman’s lead is now 59 points.
Oscar Piastri is now just thirty two points behind Norris and Charles Leclerc is just nineteen points behind Norris. Our ante-post bet on Norris to win ‘without Verstappen’, is now not looking quite so strong. It is a three horse race now.
They won the race in Baku, and Norris produced a good recovery drive to get from sixteenth on the grid to finish fourth, one place ahead of Verstappen who had started sixth. The two drivers have now won two races each, and it is Piastri who is in better recent form.
Norris will be feeling the pressure and he really needs a big performance this weekend to get a firm grip on his title challenge. Norris has gone well in his three previous appearances here, finishing 7/4/2, with Piastri seventh on debut in 2023.
Red Bull
Ran a slightly different floor in Baku but it is hard to say if it made a great difference. Perez did whet Perez does in Baku, but all that good work was undone with his coming together with Sainz on the penultimate lap.
The team had kept him on after the summer break as they reckoned he could score good points in Baku and Singapore. It was no points in Baku, despite a good performance, and I do not rate him as highly here as at Baku.
The team say that the damage to his car in Baku means he may not be able to run with the planned set up they were going to use this weekend, but they are trying to get new parts manufactured and flown out to Singapore in time.
Bumpier Track
The track surface in Singapore is much bumpier than in Baku and that has caused Red Bull problems before. It has not been a good venue for Verstappen who has never won here and only had two podium finishes.
It is hard to assess Red Bull’s chances. With Perez in Baku, they had a podium performance, and maybe even a race winning performance had he not been held up by Norris at a crucial point. But Verstappen was all at sea, blaming a setup change that went wrong. The fact remains that they have not won any of the last seven races. Their pace has stagnated, while others have improved.
Ferrari
This is a track that will suit the Ferrari every bit as much as Baku. Leclerc got pole last weekend and finished second. He will be hoping to go one better, but McLaren will be hard to beat. Leclerc has had two poles here from the last three races and Sainz got the other.
Leclerc has been runner up twice and Sainz won here last year and was third in 2022. A podium finish for one of their drivers is the minimum I would expect. If they could get pole, the chance of converting it into a win should be better, as overtaking is harder here. Five of the eight races here in the turbo hybrid era have gone to the pole sitter.
Mercedes
No doubt they will look good at some point in the weekend, but the car is still very peaky. The sweet spot is small and they are struggling to manage tyre temperatures, and hence grip and degradation.
Hamilton was third here last year, Russell crashing out very late in the race as he tried to catch Sainz. They have not won here since 2018. Russell has been the better driver on the street circuits for Mercedes in 2024 and he looks to be their best chance this weekend, despite a track record which reads R/14/16.
The team are trying to work out if their latest new floor is to blame, but it is likely to be a combination of things, and not a simple fix. They remain the fourth best team and that mid-season run was partly due to others dropping the ball and Mercedes picking it up.
Aston Martin
Alonso had a decent weekend in Baku, which bodes well for this race. He has gone well on the streets in 2024 with an average finishing position of 6.80. His sixth place last week was flattered by the Sainz/Perez crash, but he was a solid top 10 and more points look possible.
VISA RB
The sword of Damocles is hanging over the head of Ricciardo once again. Rumours are circulating that the team are looking at placing Liam Lawson in his place after this weekend.
This is a track where Ricciardo has gone well in the past and he had four consecutive podiums between 2014 and 2017 and he was fifth for McLaren when he last raced here in 2022. He hasn’t gone that well on the streets in 2024, certainly compared to Tsunoda. The Japanese driver has had back to back retirements and the team are not in great shape.
Haas
Got a bit lucky in Baku, with Bearman picking up tenth place thanks to the Perez/Sainz crash. Magnussen returns this weekend but Hulkenberg was never in contention in Baku and they have been lacking competitiveness on the street circuits.
Williams
Their upgrade introduced in The Netherlands for the Dutch GP have made the Williams’ very much a points contender and they are around the same pace as the Aston Martin. A double points finish last weekend saw them close the gap to Visa RB to just thirteen points and they will have set their sights on moving up to seventh place, having overtaken Alpine last weekend.
Colapinto did a very good job to reach Q3 and finish eighth on a track that was new to him. Albon has now had three consecutive Q3 appearances and they should pick up some more this weekend. This is another new track for Colapinto and his fitness will be severely tested.
Alpine
a dreadful weekend in Baku does not bode well. The car was slow and very unreliable. They gave Sauber a run for worst car of the weekend and it is hard to see much improvement here. Ocon has failed to finish in his last three visits to Singapore, but Gasly managed three points finishes.
Sauber
Continue to be very poor and they will be propping up the grid again.
2024 Singapore GP Outright Bets
No two races are ever the same, but Baku – Singapore back to back could be as close as you can get. They have never run back to back before, but with similar corners and only one week apart, we can’t expect things to be very different.
Norris should be expected to be starting a lot nearer the front than was the case last weekend and I expect that we will have another McLaren vs. Ferrari battle. Maybe Red Bull can join in, but this has not been a great track for Verstappen and Perez has not enjoyed the same kind of success here either. His car may not be in the best specification thanks to accident damage which is another negative.
Mercedes are always a hard call, but they didn’t show enough in Baku to get too excited about their chances this weekend.
Ferrari have had a strong grip on pole position in Singapore in previous years and we know that the car is strong on tracks with a lot of short duration corners.
2024 Singapore GP Tip: 2 points Charles Leclerc to be the fastest qualifier @ 4.00 generally available
I will take the chance that, should Leclerc continue Ferrari’s very good qualifying form in Singapore, hanging on to the lead will be more manageable than it was in Baku. It will be close though, and the pole bet looks the better value this weekend.
2024 Singapore GP Tip: 1 point Charles Leclerc to win @ 5.00 with Livescorebet
I said in my Baku preview that a double points finish wouldn’t be long coming for Williams and it came last week, which was a bit frustrating.
Colapinto’s lack of track experience was no barrier for him, qualifying and finishing in the top 10. This is another new track for him, but the odds are good enough for a modest bet. The car is clearly decent on this sort of track, which can’t be said for close rivals Haas.
