Scheduled for September 20, 2020, at the Marina Bay Circuit, the Singapore Grand Prix required extensive planning between race organizers, the local government, and F1 officials. By mid-May 2020, it became clear that hosting the race behind closed doors was not feasible and could even exacerbate the challenges posed by the pandemic. At the time, the F1 world was in turmoil, with ten events already scrapped or delayed, leading executives to pivot toward a fan-less start to the season at the Austrian GP in July.
While several global sports, including football, cricket, and other F1 rounds, were moving toward empty-venue formats, Singapore's setup presented a major hurdle. Since the Marina Bay street circuit winds through the city's waterfront at night, preventing fans from lining the streets would be an operational nightmare. Consequently, the government and organizers began brainstorming alternative ways to manage a street race without a crowd. The scale of the challenge is evident when looking at the previous year, where roughly 268,000 people—many of them international tourists—flocked to the circuit to see Sebastian Vettel take the victory for Ferrari.
The Marina Bay circuit spans just over 5 kilometers through the Downtown Core and Kallang. Organizers noted that setting up the necessary temporary infrastructure for the race is a massive undertaking that typically takes about three months. They emphasized that every step of the setup must be strictly monitored to ensure the safety of the drivers, crew, and staff. This caution mirrored Singapore's broader pandemic response, which included business closures and stay-at-home orders. Although the country dealt with over 28,000 cases—primarily among migrant workers—regulations began to ease slightly starting in early June.