This season’s Singapore Grand Prix is in the midst of controversy, after it was announced that the night race’s owner will be arrested.
Ong Beng Seng is the owner and promoter of the Singapore GP, with him set to be arrested for his suspected involvement in a corruption scandal.
The billionaire is involved in the scandal along with government minister S. Iswaran, who is also believed to be heavily involved in the Grand Prix.
Beng Seng’s company, Hotel Properties Limited, saw its shares plummet 6% following the news, before they stated that the owner will be handing in his passport when he returns to the country.
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“He will be travelling from July 14 and will be surrendering his passport upon his return to Singapore,” the company confirmed, as reported by Grandpx.news.
For minister Iswaran, he’s been instructed to take a leave of absence by the Singapore prime minister.
The big question now is whether Beng Seng’s scheduled arrest will cause issues for the Singapore GP, which only signed a new seven-year deal last season to remain on the calendar.
The Singapore GP has featured on the calendar every season since 2008, with the exception of 2020 and 2021 following the Coronavirus pandemic.
The Marina Bay Circuit is notoriously one of the most demanding races on the calendar, due to the high heat and humidity.
The night race has thrown up some scintillating action over the years, most notably in 2019 when Kimi Raikkonen, Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen crashed into each other after the starting lights went out.
Sergio Perez is the most recent winner of the Singapore GP, after he overtook Charles Leclerc.
Leclerc and Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz completed the podium, whilst Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo finished fourth and fifth for McLaren.
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With Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton having both made mistakes during the race which started in wet conditions.
This season’s Singapore GP is currently scheduled to take place on September 17 and get underway as always at 13:00 GMT.
By the time the championship reaches Singapore – should the race still take place – Verstappen could be on the brink of a third consecutive Drivers’ Championship.