6 Things to WATCH out for at the Singapore Grand Prix

Arguably the biggest story of the season so far, the news that Liberty Media has assumed control of F1 creates a broad talking point coming into Singapore. Though few will be sad to see CVC exit the sport following criticism it placed profit over prestige, Liberty Media’s next steps will be keenly observed. Bernie Ecclestone has already stated he will remain at the helm – answering one major question – but what kind of ship will he be steering over the coming months and what will the significant members of the paddock think of these new owners?

Even though the 2016 F1 season has certainly been perceived as fairly competitive on track, on paper at least Mercedes is enjoying its most successful campaign yet having won all but one race this year. Nevertheless, this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix is seen as a potentially major opportunity for Ferrari and Red Bull given Mercedes’ unusual blip of form around the Marina Bay Circuit last year. Whilst there is no indication Mercedes will suffer the same issues – of which were never publicly identified -, Red Bull has at least stepped up its form from 12 months ago, so much so that Daniel Ricciardo is especially being touted for a first win in two years this weekend.

With Felipe Massa and Jenson Button mapping out their futures in Monza, the F1 driver market is continuing to shift heading to Singapore. Whilst McLaren-Honda have filled Button's place with Stoffel Vandoorne, Williams is yet to announce either of its drivers. Similarly, Renault, Manor and Sauber have given little away about their 2017 plans, while Haas, Toro Rosso and Force India haven't quite confirmed its intentions... Will this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix see more of the jigsaws fall into place? We certainly think so...

Two wins on the trot have seen Nico Rosberg squeeze Lewis Hamilton's gap back to just two points heading to Singapore. Having been largely written off coming into the Monza race, Rosberg not only took full advantage of Hamilton's fluffed start but simply accelerated away to claim his first win on Italian soil. An against-the-grain victory that will do wonders for Rosberg's confidence, he is now looking to secure not only his first Singapore GP win but his first podium there since 2008!

Given the struggles it anticipated at Spa and Monza - even with the updated Honda engine -, McLaren enjoyed a solid showing at what it referred to as its 'trickiest' circuits, so what can it achieve in Singapore? Indeed, even as the much anticipated upgrade was rolled out, Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button both suggested we'd have to wait until the more favourable Marina Bay Circuit to get a better understanding of what the revised MP4-31 package is capable of. Given Belgium and Italy went better than expected, it might be worth keeping an eye on McLaren in Singapore this weekend.

Though relatively little is known about the Longbow Finance company that purchased it in July, Sauber’s new owners are seemingly having a positive influence on the struggling team based on its recent acquisitions. Fresh investment has seen engineer Xevi Pujolar (ex-Toro Rosso), aerodynamicist Nicolas Hennel de Beaupreau (ex-Lotus) and strategist Ruth Buscombe (ex-Ferrari and Haas) join the Swiss team in recent weeks, suggesting Longbow Finance are keen to see its investment flourish. Whilst it may take time to see a difference on track, this is arguably the most future-proof Sauber we have seen for some time…