Formula One’s first ever night race is to be held this weekend in Singapore. Lewis Hamilton and his rivals will compete on a brand new circuit that passes through the streets of this fascinating Asian city. The circuit, which is 3.15 miles long, will take the drivers past landmarks such as the Raffles hotel in an anti-clockwise direction. There will be a total of 23 turns and the maximum speed will be around 300 km per hour along Raffles Boulevard. This speed may also be reached by drivers travelling along Pit Straight, St. Andrew’s Road, and Esplanade Drive.

The circuit will be illuminated by floodlights approximately four times brighter than the ones we are accustomed to at Premiership football matches and for this reason, the drivers will not need to use headlights on their cars. Lewis Hamilton has spoken of his excitement at the prospect of a night race in this vibrant city: “It is going to be an exciting weekend...It sounds like it will be pretty spectacular”.

Furthermore, the predicted weather conditions have added an extra layer of excitement to an already intriguing prospect. There is around a 60% chance of rain forecasted for Sunday and this has raised concerns that glare could be caused by the lights bouncing off the wet track. To prepare for this eventuality, the teams have introduced high-contrast helmet visors that are able to increase depth perception. The race starts at 8pm local time on Sunday and you can follow Hamilton’s progress live on ITV. Coverage starts at 12pm.

Written by Charlotte Cook