Formula One is facing a familiar threat as it prepares for the Singapore Grand Prix later in October. The event has been kept under close watch due to the Seasonal forest fires in Indonesia’s Sumatra and Kalimantan regions. 

On Wednesday, August 19th, Channel News Asia put out a report stating that Singapore’s Meteorological Service warned about hazy conditions persisting if the fires intensify. The forecast also suggests a heightened risk of severe transboundary haze later in the year due to the strong El Niño conditions. 

Speaking to Channel News Asia, the Singaporean GP spokesperson revealed that the event has a contingency plan in place. 

“The plan was formulated and refined with stakeholders and government agencies.” The spokesperson said via Channel News Asia. “In the event that the haze causes visibility, public health or operational issues, Singapore GP would work closely with the relevant agencies before making any collective decisions regarding the event.”

Several of the agencies will be working collectively with Formula One and will specifically keep an eye on the air quality, which is measured using the Pollutant Standards Index.

 Currently, the PSI is measured in the moderate range of 51 to 100. If the PSI exceeds 100, the air quality is considered unhealthy; it is very unhealthy when it exceeds 200 and hazardous when it exceeds 300.

However, this situation is not something new for F1 and the Singaporean GP. 

History repeating? Looking back at the 2019 Singapore GP

The history seems to be repeating for the Singapore GP. Back in 2019, it faced a similar threat due to the same fires across Indonesia. According to reports by the National Environment Agency at the time, the fires tanked the air quality into the 200s, making it unhealthy. 

Despite this, the race weekend at Marina Bay carried on as scheduled. According to the reports put out by The First Post in September 2019, as thick,  pungent smoke haze continued to hover over the track, organizers distributed N95 masks to around 268,000 spectators via the first aiders deployed at the track. 

This year as well, a similar plan is in place. For the Grand Prix, there will be real-time updates provided to everyone at the Marina Bay circuit, on-site medical assistance, and ready access to N95 masks. 

With a tested playbook in place, the Formula One Singapore GP will continue to take place as scheduled from October 09-11th. However, all the agencies will continue to monitor the situation in the upcoming month.