Current World Constructors' Championship leader Red Bull Racing had an opportunity to secure their sixth title, their second in a row. Red Bull Racing would win the title if they claimed a 1–2 result with a bonus point for the fastest lap (44 points), with second-placed Mercedes scoring one point or fewer. If Red Bull Racing had achieved a 1–2 without the fastest lap (43 points), with Mercedes failing to score, their advantage would have been the same as the number of the obtainable points remaining in the season (353), but Mercedes would not have been able to win on a tie breaker due to Red Bull Racing achieving more wins than Mercedes.[5]
The drivers and teams were initially the same as the season entry list, with the exception of Liam Lawson, who was in the seat originally held by Nyck de Vries.[6][a]Lance Stroll withdrew before the race following a crash in qualifying.[9]
Turns 16 through 19 of the previous layout were removed to facilitate the construction of NS Square, which is replacing The Float @ Marina Bay where the track previously went through.[11][12] They were replaced by a new straight leading from turn 15 to the new turn 16, which was designated as turn 20 in the previous layout.[13]
The second practice session was held on 15 September 2023, at 21:00 local time (UTC+8).[14]Carlos Sainz Jr. topped the session, with his teammate Charles Leclerc recording the second-fastest time and George Russell recording the third-fastest. Alexander Albon reported engine issues during the session, and he was forced to sit out for the rest of the practice.[16] The third practice session was held on 16 September 2023, at 17:00 local time (UTC+8). Carlos Sainz Jr. topped the session, with George Russell recording the second-fastest time and Lando Norris recording the third-fastest.[17]
The first session saw Yuki Tsunoda record the fastest time ahead of Sergio Pérez and Nico Hülkenberg after a heavy crash for Lance Stroll brought out the red flag in the closing moments, taking himself, Valtteri Bottas, Oscar Piastri, Logan Sargeant and Zhou Guanyu out of qualifying.[18] The second session was delayed due to debris on the final corner where Stroll had crashed. Following the session, Stroll was taken to the circuit medical centre and was deemed fit to race, but withdrew from the event.[19]
The third segment saw Sainz take pole position ahead of Russell and Charles Leclerc, his and Ferrari's second consecutive after the preceding Italian Grand Prix.[22]
Following qualifying, Max Verstappen and Logan Sargeant were given reprimands for various impeding incidents. Prior to the following Japanese Grand Prix the FIA stated that not giving either of the drivers grid penalties for their offences had been a mistake.[23]
^1 – Zhou Guanyu qualified 19th, but he was required to start the race from the pit lane as the car was fitted with new power unit elements without the approval of the technical delegate during parc fermé.[26]
^2 – Lance Stroll qualified 20th, but he withdrew following a crash in the session.[9]
Race
The race was held on 17 September 2023, at 20:00 local time (UTC+8).[14]
Race report
Zhou Guanyu started the race from the pit lane due to power unit changes. As the race began, Carlos Sainz Jr. kept the lead while teammate Charles Leclerc, starting on the soft tires, jumped ahead of George Russell to take second place. Meanwhile, Russell's teammate Lewis Hamilton took the turn 1 run-off and was noted by the stewards for gaining an advantage, so he gave the position back to Russell.[27]
Having made contact with Sergio Pérez, Yuki Tsunoda suffered a puncture early in the race and retired on lap one due to damage to his sidepods. He safely parked his car behind the barriers. His retirement triggered a yellow flag for a brief time period. Not long afterward, Logan Sargeant crashed into a barrier and broke his front wing. He returned to the pit lane while his car spewed debris onto the track, triggering a safety car. Red Bull Racing chose not to pit their drivers during the safety car period, meaning both were running older hard tyres at the restart. Russell, Lando Norris, and Hamilton were thus able to pass Pérez and Max Verstappen, who were both struggling due to their older tyres. After dropping track position, Verstappen and Pérez came into the pits, coming out in fifteenth and eighteenth respectively, but recovered to fifth and eighth respectively. The race resumed with Sainz holding his pace at the front. A few laps later, Esteban Ocon stopped on track with a gearbox issue, triggering a virtual safety car. Mercedes took advantage of this to double-stack their drivers in the pits for new medium tires. Fernando Alonso, who had received a penalty during the earlier safety car period due to crossing the pit entry line, had a slow stop, leaving him last. Russell and Hamilton both passed Leclerc to claim third and fourth respectively.[27]
As the race entered its closing stages, Sainz strategically allowed Norris, running in second place, to remain in range for DRS. The DRS benefit made it harder for Russell and Hamilton (third and fourth) to overtake Norris and challenge Sainz for the lead. On the final lap, Russell clipped the wall and broke his suspension, causing him to slam into the wall at turn 10 and ending his podium hopes. Norris had clipped the same wall just before Russell's crash but his car was undamaged. Having led the entire race, Sainz won the race, his first since the 2022 British Grand Prix and Ferrari's first since the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix, breaking Verstappen and Red Bull Racing's winning streak, with Norris claiming second place and Hamilton claiming third place after Russell's crash. In only his third race in Formula One, Liam Lawson scored his maiden points by finishing ninth, driving for AlphaTauri. Hamilton's finishing third and Alonso's fifteenth place meant Hamilton moved up from fourth to third in the championship.[27] Max Verstappen's fifth place finish would mark the only race where he would not finish on podium for the entire 2023 season.[28]
^2 – Sergio Pérez received a five-second time penalty for causing a collision with Alexander Albon. His final position was not affected by the penalty.[29]
^3 – George Russell was classified as he completed more than 90% of the race distance.[29]
^4 – Lance Stroll did not start the race following his withdrawal due to a crash in qualifying.[9]
