Unhealthy haze from wildfires poses no risk to Singapore GP, says F1

The Athletic has live coverage of sprint qualifying events for the F1 Singapore Grand Prix. SINGAPORE — Formula 1 says there “absolutely no risk” posed to the Singapore Grand Prix by the haze and smog covering the city from the wildfires in Indonesia. Like many countries in the region, Singapore has been covered by a blanket of smog in recent weeks due to the wildfires that has led to unhealthy levels of pollution. Advertisement According to Singapore’s National Environment Agency, the 24-hour rolling pollutant sub-index value for the southern part of the city near the Marina Bay Street Circuit has ranged between 104 and 167 in the past day. Anything above 100 is considered to be “unhealthy,” with official guidance instructing healthy adults to “reduce prolonged or strenuous outdoor physical exertion.” There is no mandate or recommendation for the use of N95 face masks at these levels. IQAir, a Swiss air pollution tracking company, recorded the air quality in Singapore to reach “very unhealthy’ levels on Friday afternoon before improving on Saturday and Sunday. On the platform’s live ranking of the most polluted global major cities, Singapore ranks second only behind Kuala Lumpur, which hosted last weekend’s F1 race. The smog remained noticeable on the TV broadcasts as F1 cars hit the track in Singapore for the first time on Friday evening, but the organizers of the race have downplayed concerns about its impact on proceedings. “There is absolutely no risk to the event and the conditions where the event is taking place is not a concern,” a spokesperson from the F1 organization told The Athletic. Adam Firth, the executive director of the Singapore GP, also issued a statement on Friday denying reports that there could be adjustments to the entertainment offerings at the race weekend because of the poor air quality. Besides the on-track action, the circuit will host concerts from artists including Lana del Rey, The Killers and Zara Larsson. “Contrary to recent press reports, there are currently no plans to modify our entertainment activities at the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix 2026,” said Firth. “We will continue to closely monitor all weather conditions, including haze, as part of our standard event planning and operations. Should there be any changes, we will communicate them through our official channels in a timely manner.” F1’s CEO and president, Stefano Domenicali, told Bloomberg on Friday morning that the haze “will not affect us” and there was “no signal that this will be a problem at all.” Advertisement None of the 22 drivers taking part in the Singapore GP have been spotted wearing masks in the paddock this weekend, nor did any of them raise any concerns when speaking on Thursday. Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion, told reporters on Thursday that he had not given much thought to the health impact of the haze. “I haven’t noticed anything outside, apart from the fact that we struggled to land (the plane) because of the smog,” said Hamilton. “So I can’t really say much on it. The fact is we’re all here. I don’t know how that (air quality) is.” Ahead of the race weekend, Cadillac driver Valtteri Bottas completed a 250-mile bicycle ride from Malaysia all the way to Singapore, and said he could notice the skies growing more polluted as he neared his finishing point. But he did not feel the air quality was a problem or that there was any need to wear a mask. “I don’t feel like it’s that extreme yet,” said Bottas. “I mean it’s not great. But I don’t think there’s that much you can do. We’re still going to be out there on track outside. “I could see that coming from Malaysia to here, step by step. It was only the last day I could see it. Once you get to Singapore, it’s really not great.”