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Mark Gillan, Chief
Operations Engineer:
The night race through the streets of Singapore is a special event and
one that the team looks forward to. It’s a long and physically demanding
race for both driver and car. As overtaking is difficult qualifying
position becomes even more important. With the longest pitlane of the
season, which is taken at 60kph, as opposed to the normal 100kph, one
tends to perform the least pitstops possible. Pirelli are bringing the
soft and super-soft tyres to this race, a combination that was last used
in both Monaco and Canada. The circuit is extremely severe on brakes and
due to the hot ambient temperatures we will be required to open the
bodywork for engine cooling. Aero wise we run near the maximum
down-force level and from a set-up perspective you have to be mindful of
the harsh kerbs. Finally the weather is difficult to track in Singapore
and heavy rain is always a possibility.
Bruno Senna:
Singapore should suit our car because it’s a high downforce and load
circuit and that’s where the car feels at home the most. Of course it’s
hard to judge where we will be as others teams are improving all the
time, but if we can score points in Monza then we should be looking to
get further into the top ten in Singapore. I had a good performance
there last year as well so that always gives you a boost before a race.
Pastor Maldonado:
This is my second time at Singapore which is a great city with a great
atmosphere. The race is unique because it takes place at night and you
have to adapt to the temperature change and of course the time
difference because we stay on European time all week. The track requires
high downforce which is good for us and it’s similar to Barcelona in
terms of aerodynamics so this should be a track where we can show the
potential of our car.
Rémi Taffin, Head of
Renault Sport F1 Track Operations:
The Marina Bay circuit has a low average speed of just 170kph due to the
high amount of corners so the emphasis is on giving the drivers
driveability through the lower rev ranges (between 8,000rpm and
13,000rpm) and a responsive engine on the short links between the right
angled turns. Engine maps need to give good traction, so this is a race
we’ll work particularly closely with the chassis engineers to get a
neutral set up.
Paul Hembery, Pirelli
Motorsport Director:
We’re bringing the P Zero Yellow soft and P Zero Red supersoft to
Singapore: the same combination we took last year, which is well suited
to the characteristics of a street circuit. Singapore is quite unusual
for a street race though because it’s hot and humid with high speeds,
heavy braking areas, and lots of corners: all of which test the tyres in
terms of traction and braking. Because it’s a long race the cars carry a
very heavy fuel load. That puts a lot of energy through the tyres at the
start of the race, so it’s vital to manage the first stint well. Tyre
strategy will as always be a key ingredient – the race was won with a
three-stopper last year – but it’s interesting to note that there’s been
a safety car period at every Singapore Grand Prix held so far, and that
is sure to have a big effect on the race plan for every team.
Race Data
Friday:
Practice 1: 18:00 - 19:30
Practice 2: 21:30 - 23:00
Saturday:
Practice 3: 18:00 - 19:00
Qualifying: 21:00 – 22:00
Sunday: Race: 20:00
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