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Being F1’s only night race,
the Singapore Grand Prix has a completely different ambience to other
day time races. The 8pm start forces the F1 paddock to live a nocturnal
lifestyle for the weekend, starting work at 3pm and finishing in the
early hours of the following morning.
Visibility is only made possible by the 1,500 halogen lamps that line
one side of the circuit, providing the drivers with a light reading of
3,000 lux. Some even wear tinted visors to reduce the glare. The track
is unusually wide for a street circuit, resulting in a couple of genuine
overtaking places. It’s worth noting that this is the longest grand prix
of the year; the 61 lap race comes in close to the two-hour time limit,
which, when combined with the heat and humidity of the Tropics, makes
this one of the most gruelling races of the year.
Sam Michael, Technical Director:
Singapore has all the challenges, for both the drivers and engineers, of
a classic street race, but with the addition of it also being held at
night. There is a large improvement in track grip as the race weekend
progresses. There are also more bumps and kerbs to deal with compared to
normal and downforce is set to a maximum. Good traction with minimal
understeer are always the focus of the car set-up here. We have an
upgraded diffuser and a new front wing assembly for the first of the flyaways. We'll test both of them on Friday.
Rubens Barrichello:
I love Singapore and I think the night race has been a great success. I
don't really have a favourite corner as all of them are very
challenging. Turn 4, for example, is a medium speed corner with some
bumps on the way in that makes you double your attention but you can
gain a lot of time there. As it is a long lap you need to keep the car
and tyres in good shape as the last corner is a high speed one that
determines your speed onto the straight. Williams has always done well
there and I hope this time it is no different.
Pastor Maldonado:
Marina Bay is a new track for me so I will need to work hard to learn it
ready for qualifying. It will be my first time in Singapore and my first
time racing at night as well. Everyone has told me it is the most
beautiful place so I’m looking forward to getting there. I really like
street circuits so I think I can be quick there. We have some upgrades
for this race that we hope will be a big improvement and help us better
our last result. It has been nice to be back in Venezuela since racing
in Italy, especially visiting Canaima National Park last week as it was
a great experience. I’m now feeling very relaxed and ready to get back
to work in Singapore.
Race Data
Friday:
Practice 1: 18:00 - 19:30
Practice 2: 21:30 - 23:00
Saturday:
Practice 3: 19:00 - 20:00
Qualifying: 22:00 – 23:00
Sunday: Race: 20:00
From Cosworth’s
perspective:
From two of the toughest race tracks on the F1 calendar for engines, Spa
and Monza, Formula One heads to Marina Bay in Singapore, one of the
least demanding circuits for outright engine power. The circuit’s
composition of 23 mainly slow corners means that engines are still given
a continuous workout with little breathing room over the 5km lap. As a
result of the lack of straights, engine cooling can be an issue,
particularly when coupled with the region’s hot and humid
conditions.
Engine responsiveness at low speed will be crucial to a good lap time.
Gear ratios will be adjusted to allow drivers to quick shift at the
lower end of the rev scale. The track is similar in some ways to the
rigours of Monaco or Valencia, demanding a high downforce aerodynamics
package, but has its own unique character by being a night race.
From Pirelli’s perspective:
At the Singapore Grand Prix we’ll be bringing the supersoft and soft
compounds, a combination that we used on the street circuits of Monaco
and Canada. Singapore presents us with a different challenge though as
the temperatures are hotter and conditions will be more humid, even
though the race is held at night. We have actually had experience of
running in the dark in wet conditions before – before the start of the
season we tested on an artificially‐dampened track at night in Abu Dhabi
– so we’re prepared for a very wide range of circumstances.
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