At the final round of the 2010 Formula 1 season, racer Sebastian Vettel became the youngest F1 Champion in the history of the sport. He was 23 years (and 134 days) old. This weekend in Singapore, he has the chance to win it all again.

The 14^th round of the 2011 championship may be the most unique racing event in the entire world. The Marina Bay street circuit consists of 23 turns through the fabulous downtown bayfront section of the city. But what makes it a fascinating venue is that the race is run at night, the only F1 event to do so. The race starts at 9:00 pm local time, resulting in an afternoon race for the Europeans and a morning race here in the Americas. It is a brilliant schedule that captures the largest audience possible.

When Singapore first suggested a night race, the F1 paddock was completely opposed to the idea. The circuit is a bit more than 5 kilometers (3 miles) long, and provides a huge challenge to any lighting designer. The cars move so fast that they would easily outrun their headlights. But, of course, they don’t even have headlights.

The lighting solution, provided by Valerio Maioli, is brilliant and results in a colorful presentation that is stunningly beautiful. The system consists of 1600 fixtures that consume 3,180,000 watts, 355,000 feet of cable and a dozen twin-power generators. The luminaires are placed such that neither the drivers nor the race fans have light directly in their faces, and there is no problem with glare. The circuit is so well lit that many drivers use a tinted visor much as they would on a bright sunny day.

The competition on-track this season has been fierce, and that will continue at Marina Bay. The introduction of Pirelli tires created some interesting strategies, as the tire wear patterns were not understood and the manufacturer choose to construct a tire that required a gentle touch. The introduction of the DRS (drag reduction system) created overtaking possibilities that did not exist prior to 2011. The presence of five Formula 1 world champions in the field, along with a number of experienced veterans and promising newcomers, insured that there would be quality racing throughout the grid, even amongst the backmarkers.

In spite of all the competitive possibilities, the season has been dominated by Seb Vettel and his Red Bull Racing team. RBR has the most brilliant car designer ever to sit behind a drawing table: Adrian Newey has designed world championship winning cars for three F1 teams. It’s quite possible that the fastest man in Formula 1 is not a driver, but instead may be a designer. Couple the best designer in the business with a quick and fearless promising young talent, and you have what has proven to be an unbeatable combination. The fact that the team uses Renault’s rock solid engines is just frosting on the cake.

Vettel’s dominance is evident when looking at the points total. He is well ahead of his rivals, and even though the drivers in positions two through four have a mathematical chance to win the title, they have very little practical chance. In fact, if Vettel wins this weekend’s race, he will have clinched his second championship with five races left in the season! Michael Schumacher holds the f1 record for winning the 2002 championship with six races remaining. An interesting bit of trivia: Schumacher is still on the grid, driving for the Mercedes team, and is the oldest driver at 42 years. He is also a seven-time Formula 1 champion.

The fact that Vettel is practically uncatchable makes the balance of the season uninteresting to some race fans, but one should look more closely at the other drivers. Alonso, Button, and Hamilton are all former world champions. Weber was leading the 2010 championship much of the season only to be beaten in the end by his teammate. These men will not stop fighting for wins, and all have won races in 2011 with the exception of Weber. The battle for wins, points, and positions in the final standings will not stop if Vettel secures the championship at Singapore.

These drivers are competitive beasts and the racing will be torrid as they have nothing to lose. The question is whether Vettel will relax a bit and protect his lead or if he will fight as if he has nothing to lose. If he has a crash on the tight confines of the Marina Bay circuit while being too aggressive, as he was known to do last season, the title fight will move on to Japan.