Memorable F1 moments from the Singapore Grand Prix

Ladbrokes takes a look back at some of the most memorable F1 moments from the Singapore Grand Prix, including the infamous Crashgate scandal from 2008.

Since becoming Formula One's first ever night race on that unforgettable weekend back in 2008, the Singapore GP has seen countless dramatic moments, from high-octane crashes to calamitous pit stops - and we're revisiting the best of them.

It remains one of the toughest tests on the entire F1 calendar, with difficult conditions and an unforgiving track, so it's no surprise that some of F1's most unforgettable moments have happened under the lights on the Marina Bay Street Circuit. But which moments make our list?

Kicking off this list is one of Formula One's biggest scandals, when Renault's Nelson Piquet Jr. deliberately crashed at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix to allow Fernando Alonso, his teammate, to gain a sporting advantage.

Alonso opted to start the race on super-soft tyres to get off to a blistering start, with hopes that an early safety car would be called. Alonso was called into the pits on Lap 12 to make the pre-planned tyre change, and just two laps later, Nelson Piquet Jr. conveniently crashed into the wall to bring out the safety car, giving his Spanish teammate a huge advantage - thanks to his early pit stop.

Alonso held onto the lead to claim Renault's first victory since 2006, but after Nelson Piquet Jr. lost his seat in 2009, allegations and accusations started to fly. Renault were found guilty of deliberately plotting the crash, and thus the Singapore Grand Prix was immediately etched into F1 history - for the most dramatic of reasons.

As if the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix wasn't memorable enough, Ferrari and the legendary Felipe Massa got in on the act of crazy moments with one of the sport's most unforgettable - and consequential - pit stops.

Entering the pits from P1, Massa's stop was going to plan and the win looked on for the Championship favourite - but the Brazilian was released early, and drove off with the fuel hose still attached to the car. Fuel sprayed across the pitlane and the Ferrari mechanics were sent into disarray, with some having to chase after him to retrieve the hose.

The botched pit stop led to a drive-through penalty for Massa, who rejoined at the back of the pack and eventually crossed the line in 13th - which did irreparable damage to his World Championship chances. The Brazilian finished second in the Drivers' Standings behind a certain Lewis Hamilton, with the Englishman claiming his first F1 title by a single point.

Finally moving away from 2008, we're jumping forward nine years and looking back on a Turn-1 crash that saw the Singapore Grand Prix burst into life within the opening seconds, with three of the front four colliding immediately.

Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel occupied pole from the start, while Max Verstappen (Red Bull) lined up alongside him on the front row. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) started from P4, but got up alongside his teammate as soon as the lights went out, in an aggressive tactic that backfired as quickly as it possibly could. The two Ferraris sandwiched Verstappen straight off the starting grid, causing a huge collision that saw all three drivers retire from the race before they could even break sweat - with McLaren's Fernando Alonso also getting caught up in the mayhem.

This was a sign of things to come at the 2017 Singapore Grand Prix, with only 12 of the 20 drivers finishing the race. Lewis Hamilton took the flag for Mercedes, as he did so often back then, and went on to win his fourth F1 World Championship.

From one dramatic crash to another, this collision in 2012 brought an end to the Singapore GP for both Michael Schumacher (Mercedes) and Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso), with the former driving straight into the back of his French opponent on Lap 39.

After a period with the safety car, Schumacher misjudged the braking performance of his Mercedes as he went into Turn 14, pulling close to the cars in front before locking up and flying into the track's run-off area - taking Vergne with him. Visually, the crash perhaps looked more dramatic than it proved to be, with a cloud of smoke and debris flying off the track, but both drivers walked off in good spirits.

The crash ultimately resulted in a 10-place grid penalty for Schumacher at the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix, and the iconic German had to settle for 13th in the Drivers' Standings at the end of the season.

Bringing a close to our list of memorable F1 moments from the Singapore Grand Prix, we're revisiting Lewis Hamilton's epic weekend from 2018, where the Englishman put in a blistering Qualifying display with one of the greatest laps that Marina Bay has ever witnessed.

Hamilton went round in just 1:36.015 to pip Red Bull's Max Verstappen to pole, and saw off competition from Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel in the race to take the flag and extend his Championship lead to 40 points - which ultimately proved unassailable, with the Mercedes man picking up his fifth World Championship.

Still driving now (in the red of Ferrari), Lewis Hamilton's era of success is seemingly behind him, but he will go down as a true legend of the sport. We've even predicted that he will finally feature on a podium for Ferrari this season, so there could be more glory for him yet.

That concludes our list of memorable F1 moments from the Singapore Grand Prix. Why not check out some more of our Formula One content, including a look at the odds & favourites for each race, as well as the other pieces in our 'memorable F1 moments' series.

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