Since its opening in 2008, the Singapore Marina Bay City circuit has remained a crucial stop on the F1 Grand Prix calendar, as well as the first venue in F1 history to host a night race.
The reason Wu Shi claimed to be unfamiliar with this track was twofold: first, he hadn't raced here in sixteen years; second, the track had undergone four modifications, and the layout he knew best was the post-2023 version.
The Marina Bay City circuit of 2014 had just been adjusted the previous year. It featured 23 corners and a total length of 5.065 kilometers, 800 meters shorter than its 2012 layout.
Last year's fastest qualifying lap was 1:42.841, and the fastest race lap was 1:48.574—both set by Vettel, who was still driving for Big Red Bull.
Because this was the first year of a major engine regulation overhaul, speeds were highly likely to be slower. As for exactly how much slower, no one knew.
