2013 Singapore Grand Prix Preview - MotorSportsTalk

As the only night race on the calendar, the Singapore Grand Prix is one of Formula One’s glamour events alongside Monaco and Abu Dhabi. The Marina Bay Street Circuit comes alive when the sun goes down, illuminated by thousands of lights in one of the most challenging races on the calendar. As Sebastian Vettel closes in on his fourth world championship, the German driver will be keen on claiming his third straight win in Singapore, but he can be certain that Mercedes and Ferrari will be doing all they can to cut the gap under the starry sky.

Singapore Grand Prix Talking Points

Massa a changed man?

This is the first grand prix since it was confirmed that Felipe Massa would be leaving Ferrari at the end of the season to be replaced by Kimi Raikkonen. Massa has admitted that he feels under less pressure after his future was decided, meaning that we could see the Brazilian driver displaying a renewed vigor and perhaps even some pace harking back to his title charge in 2008.

Mercedes look to deliver on their promise

After a difficult few races, Mercedes have earmarked Singapore as being their chance to return to the front of the pack. Given the fashion of Nico Rosberg’s win at Monaco and Lewis Hamilton’s victory in Hungary, the circuit in Singapore (also high downforce) should suit the W04 car, so expect the Silver Arrows to run strongly under the lights.

First race for new super-soft tires

Since reverting back to the 2012 tire constructions in Hungary, this will be the first race for Pirelli’s super-soft tires. Although the safety aspect is no real concern, this does however pose a fresh challenge to the teams. Force India have been hit hard by the changes made, dropping off the pace and back towards the depths of the midfield. Therefore, the first usage of the softest compound could accentuate these issues, as well as affecting the team’s rivals.

Seb looks to triple up

As mentioned earlier, Sebastian Vettel is chasing a third straight victory in Singapore this weekend. After dominating the race in 2011, he was somewhat fortuitous last season when leader Lewis Hamilton retired due to a gearbox failure. The circuit does suit the partialities of the Red Bull RB9 car, meaning that he will (once again) be fighting at the front. It just appears to be a question of whether or not Mercedes and Ferrari can pose a challenge to the defending world champions.

Right place, right time?

One of the biggest challenges for all personnel involved with the Singapore Grand Prix is adapting to the timings of a night race. Despite being in Singapore, most choose to live on European time, waking up in the middle of the afternoon and not going to bed until dawn. Therefore, it is a challenge for the drivers to adapt quickly and be prepared for the race on Sunday.

Track: Marina Bay Street Circuit
Laps: 61
Corners: 23
Lap Record: Kimi Raikkonen 1:45.59 (2008)
Tire Compounds: Super-soft (Option); Medium (Prime)
2012 Winner: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2012 Pole Position: Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) 1:46.362
2012 Fastest Lap: Nico Hulkenberg (Force India) 1:51.033
DRS Zones: Main Straight (T11 to T1); T7 to T8

Friday – Free Practice 1: 06:00am ET
Friday – Free Practice 2: 09:30am ET (LIVE on NBCSN)
Saturday – Free Practice 3: 06:00am ET
Saturday – Qualifying: 09:00am ET (LIVE on NBC Sports Live Extra)
Sunday – Race: 08:00am ET (LIVE on NBCSN)

INDIANAPOLIS — The first Indy 500 victory for Josef Newgarden also was the richest in race history from a record 2023 purse of just more than $17 million.

The two-time NTT IndyCar Series champion, who continued his celebration Monday morning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway earned $3.666 million for winning the 107th running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

The purse and winner’s share both are the largest in the history of the Indianapolis 500.

It’s the second consecutive year that the Indy 500 purse set a record after the 2022 Indy 500 became the first to crack the $16 million mark (nearly doubling the 2021 purse that offered a purse of $8,854,565 after a crowd limited to 135,000 because of the COVID-19 pandemic).

The average payout for IndyCar drivers was $500,600 (exceeding last year’s average of $485,000).

Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Roger Penske, whose team also fields Newgarden’s No. 2 Dallara-Chevrolet, had made raising purses a priority since buying the track in 2020. But Penske but was unable to post big money purses until the race returned to full capacity grandstands last year.

The largest Indy 500 purse before this year was $14.4 million for the 2008 Indy 500 won by Scott Dixon (whose share was $2,988,065). Ericsson’s haul made him the second Indy 500 winner to top $3 million (2009 winner Helio Castroneves won $3,048,005.

Runner-up Marcus Ericsson won $1.043 million after falling short by 0.0974 seconds in the fourth-closest finish in Indy 500 history.

The 107th Indy 500 drew a crowd of at least 330,000 that was the largest since the sellout for the 100th running in 2016, and the second-largest in more than two decades, according to track officials.

“This is the greatest race in the world, and it was an especially monumental Month of May featuring packed grandstands and intense on-track action,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said in a release. “Now, we have the best end card possible for the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500: a record-breaking purse for the history books.”

Benjamin Pedersen was named the Indy 500 rookie of the year, earning a $50,000 bonus.

The race’s purse is determined through contingency and special awards from IMS and IndyCar. The awards were presented Monday night in the annual Indy 500 Victory Celebration at the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis.

The payouts for the 107th Indy 500:

1. Josef Newgarden, $3,666,000
2. Marcus Ericsson, $1,043,000
3. Santino Ferrucci, $481,800
4. Alex Palou, $801,500
5. Alexander Rossi, $574,000
6. Scott Dixon, $582,000
7. Takuma Sato, $217,300
8. Conor Daly, $512,000
9. Colton Herta, $506,500
10. Rinus VeeKay, $556,500
11. Ryan Hunter‐Reay, $145,500
12. Callum Ilott, $495,500
13. Devlin DeFrancesco, $482,000
14. Scott McLaughlin, $485,000
15. Helio Castroneves, $481,500
16. Tony Kanaan, $105,000
17. Marco Andretti, $102,000
18. Jack Harvey, $472,000
19. Christian Lundgaard, $467,500
20. Ed Carpenter, $102,000
21. Benjamin Pedersen (R), $215,300
22. Graham Rahal, $565,500*
23. Will Power, $488,000
24. Pato O’Ward, $516,500
25. Simon Pagenaud, $465,500
26. Agustín Canapino (R), $156,300
27. Felix Rosenqvist, $278,300
28. Kyle Kirkwood, $465,500
29. David Malukas, $462,000
30. Romain Grosjean, $462,000
31. Sting Ray Robb (R), $463,000
32. RC Enerson (R), $103,000
33. Katherine Legge, $102,000

*–Broken down between two teams, $460,000 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, $105,500 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing/Cusick Motorsports