Teams have left behind F1's European power circuits and have set up camp at Singapore's challenging Marina Bay where Pirelli has brought the three softest compounds in its range.
The start-stop nature and low grip conditions of Singapore's layout will see teams running high downforce packages to help increase cornering speeds on the second-slowest lap of the year after Monaco.
The C3 to C5 tyre nomination is broadly the same as the selection that drivers used last year, but Marina Bay's 100 percent Safety Car record implies a flexibility in terms of strategies in order to seize any opportunity that may arise in the heat of the Singapore night.
"It is hard to think of a bigger contrast to Monza than Singapore, so the teams will have a significant reset as we head into the final long-haul leg of the season," commented Pirelli F1 boss Mario Isola.
"The unique challenges of Singapore are quite well known to them though, so they will have a good idea what to expect as they dial themselves into the track on Friday.
"We've seen in the past that there is scope to vary the strategy, and with overtaking quite tricky at Marina Bay, teams will be carefully assessing the ways in which they could potentially take advantage of strategy to move up the order.
"Especially considering the very high likelihood of safety cars there, which can change the complexion of a race.
"It is going to be interesting to see if anyone tries to qualify on the medium rather than the soft, to add flexibility to the strategy, given all the variables.
"There are some quite different tyre choices among the drivers, so we might see some alternative approaches."
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