The Singapore Grand Prix should see Sebastian Vettel win, with Mark Webber and Jenson Button following him home
It's a double Red Bull front row for the Singapore Grand Prix, and - you guessed it - Sebastian Vettel is set to lead from the front in a race he can clinch the 2011 F1 Driver's Championship. To do that, he'll need someone outside of the chasing pack standing to his right on the podium, for if Mark Webber, Fernando Alonso or Jenson Button finish second, the fight goes on to Japan in two weeks time.
Vettel can win if Lewis Hamilton takes second and either Button or Webber are third or lower, but that looks a hard ask for Lewis who is starting fourth and compromised on race strategy due to a puncture in qualifying removing one set of tyres - and the strategic options that go with it - from his allocation.
Most observers gifted Vettel the title long before it became mathematically possible for the 24-year old to win it, and the way he's driven this year, it's not hard to see why. Eleven pole positions and eight wins are dominant numbers in anyone's book, and for that reason it's hard to bet against him taking victory in tomorrow's Singapore Grand Prix. I don't think he'll win the title tomorrow as one of the aforementioned trio is almost certain to finish second, but it's really now just a question of when.
Singapore is a tough Grand Prix - 61 long laps in temperatures approaching 50c in the cockpit and ultra-high humidity make it the biggest test of endurance on the calendar. While all the drivers are super-fit machines, around the tight, twisty confines of the Marina Bay street circuit one tiny mistake will see you off the track at best, while at worst you'll be in the wall and feeling pretty sore.
Kamui Kobayashi demonstrated this in qualifying, bouncing his Sauber across the vicious kerbs at Turn 10 and planting the car in the wall. As a result he starts tomorrow's race 17th but is worth a look for points because he's quick and can pull off an overtake when he needs to.
Picking the podium finishers alongside Vettel are a little bit easier for this race, for despite the opportunity to overtake presented by DRS, it is a tough track on which to get past the guy in front. For that reason I expect Vettel will be joined on the podium by Webber (1.84) and Button (2.06).
There are noises about rain making an appearance in tomorrow's race, and I'm sure the prospect of driving at 200mph with no windscreen wipers in the dark is not that appealing. The safety car is almost certain to make an appearance at some stage - it's been out in every previous Grand Prix held here, and so could serve to mix up the order further.
Other drivers who might benefit from any out-of-the-ordinary events include Pastor Maldonado, starting 13th, who is a self-proclaimed fan of street circuits and ran sixth in Monaco for long periods before being punted out of the race by Hamilton.
He's available at 5.00 for a points finish, although bear in mind the Williams car has had a tendency to go backwards in races of late. Another driver worth considering is Sergio Perez, who has an exceptional ability - for a rookie - for making his tyres last and, given he starts 11th, odds of 2.3 are not bad when you consider he only needs to make up one place to earn a point.
