FIA make last-minute change to Singapore GP this weekend that could have huge impact on the race
A last-minute decision has been made by F1 chiefs.
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Topics: Formula 1
Ryan Smart
Topics: Formula 1
The FIA have decided to make a last-minute change to the Singapore Grand Prix ahead of its running this weekend.
Championship leader Max Verstappen heads into the weekend off the back of a seven-race winless streak, with the McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc all reducing the gap in recent weeks.
Piastri won an action-packed Azerbaijan Grand Prix last weekend, ahead of Leclerc and George Russell.
Next up is a trip to the Marina Bay Street Circuit, which has produced unpredictable races in the past and also carries a significant chance of rain this weekend.
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And ahead of the 61-lap race on Sunday, the FIA have decided to introduce a change to the track.
The circuit was supposed to have three DRS zones across the circuit, but a fourth zone has now been added between turns 14 and 16.
The part of the track is the final sector before the pit straight, and will present drivers with far more overtaking opportunities as a result.
Adding the extra zone had been discussed last year, but the FIA ultimately opted against it due to safety concerns despite requests from drivers to add it in.
Alpine driver Esteban Ocon said: "The FIA is concerned about safety in that little left kink.
"I reckon personally, and the other drivers too, that it's not going to be an issue."
The other DRS zones are on the pit straight, the long section between turns three and four, and the other main straight between turns 13 and 14.
As a result of the change, the Grand Prix could be one of the most exciting ever held at the Marina Bay Street Circuit - especially with the threat of weather potentially providing a headache for teams.
It is also a race in which Red Bull may be hoping for damage limitation.
The team won 21 of the 22 races held last season, with Verstappen winning 19 of them.
But they struggled at Singapore, with neither car making it into Q3. Verstappen finished fifth in the race, while team-mate Perez was eighth.
Red Bull have won four races at the venue since its inaugural Grand Prix in 2008, but only once since 2013. Perez crossed the line first in 2022.