Singapore Grand Prix: 10 year anniversary

Since being added to the Formula One calendar in 2008, the Singapore Grand Prix has become one of the most highly anticipated events of the season.

Only four drivers have claimed victory in Singapore. Sebastian Vettel has won a record four times, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso have each won twice, while Nico Rosberg was victorious for the first time last year.

The 2017 edition of the race marks the 10 year anniversary of the event, so ESPN looked back at 10 of the most memorable, infamous and some downright strange moments that have occurred in Singapore.

10. Face to face with Godzilla: In one of the more bizarre moments ever seen on a Formula One racetrack, Max Verstappen was left stunned after coming across a two meter long monitor lizard during FP3 in 2016. The lizard proceeded to cross the circuit, right in front of Verstappen’s Red Bull, and the Dutchman could barely believe what he had witnessed. “There is a giant lizard on the track. I’m not joking,” he told his team over the radio.

9. Oh no, Nico: Nico Rosberg’s 2014 championship challenge fell in a heap in Singapore when he suffered an untimely gearbox gremlin just minutes before the race start. After qualifying second, behind teammate Lewis Hamilton, Rosberg was forced to start from the pitlane when he was unable to get away for the formation lap. He eventually retired the uncompetitive Mercedes after 13 laps, only for Hamilton to cruise to victory and retake the championship lead, a lead he would never surrender.

8. Mad man: The only thing more unusual than a lizard on a racetrack during a session is a human being. During the 2015 race, a brazen spectator climbed over the barriers and onto the circuit prompting Sebastian Vettel to scream “There is a fan on the track!” and race control to deploy a Safety Car. The offender would later be sentenced to six weeks in jail for his careless actions.

7. Max arrives: Verstappen had already demonstrated his talent during his rookie season in 2015 but his drive in Singapore was equally controversial as it was masterful. After stalling on the grid and rejoining the field a lap down and last, Verstappen, in the Toro Rosso, refused to give up and began slicing his way through the field, eventually taking eighth position. But when the team asked him to let teammate Carlos Sainz through he refused and a war-of-words soon followed. Eleven races later he was rewarded with a promotion to Red Bull and stunned the world by winning on his debut for the team in Barcelona, so it wasn’t all bad.

6. Schumi flies: Arguably the most dramatic crash ever seen at Marina Bay took place in 2012 when seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher locked up his Mercedes on entry into Turn 16 and collected Jean-Eric Vergne’s Toro Rosso. Debris was strewn all over the track and a Safety Car was quickly deployed. While the accident was disappointing, the embrace between the drivers which immediately followed was heartwarming and one which earned a lot of love on social media.

5. Massa’s magic: Since his horrific accident in Hungary, 2009, there hasn’t been a whole lot added to the Felipe Massa Formula One highlight reel. However, during the 2012 race in Singapore, the Brazilian produced a remarkable overtake on compatriot Bruno Senna where he somehow managed to keep his Ferrari out of the barriers and pointing forwards after an audacious lunge down the inside. Utterly brilliant.

4. Vettel’s 2016 recovery: Last year’s race had it all. An opening lap dramatic collision between Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz, a two-way fight for victory and a German on a mission from lap one. Sebastian Vettel ignored the ‘Overtaking is difficult in Singapore’ memo and after starting last worked his way through the field eventually finishing fifth and keeping up his record as the only driver to finish in the top five at every Singapore Grand Prix.

3. Hamilton vs. Massa: There was a time in 2011 when Hamilton and Massa’s cars seemed to have a magnetic attraction. During the Singapore Grand Prix of that year the pair came together while jostling for fifth place. Massa suffered a puncture from the contact, while Hamilton was deemed responsible and slapped with a five-second penalty. Things got heated post-race in the media pen when Massa grabbed Hamilton from an interview and sarcastically said, “Well done, man. Good job”. Hamilton quickly responded with “Don’t touch me, man”.

2. The decision: When Lewis Hamilton glanced back at his stranded McLaren in 2012, many believed it to be a sign he had made up his mind about his racing future. Hamilton was forced into retirement on lap 23 after suffering a gearbox failure, his fourth DNF in seven races. After parking up on the circuit and throwing his steering wheel away, Hamilton hopped out of the car and trudged away only to spin around and look back again. He would go on to sign with Mercedes at year’s end where he would add two more world championships to his 2008 crown.

1. A debut for the ages: A lot has happened in Singapore over the last ten years but the one that stands out above all occurred back in year one. The inaugural race was marred by what is now known as the ‘Crashgate’ controversy. Renault driver Nelson Piquet was instructed to crash his car in order to bring out a Safety Car and improve teammate Alonso’s position. The Spaniard went on to win the race but it wasn’t until almost 12 months later that Piquet admitted to being ordered to crash that the team became a subject of one of Formula One’s most controversial investigations.

-ESPN