Night Racing in Singapore

Michael Schumacher describes the method by which the drivers prepare for the night race:

The reality is that you have to work hard to stay on European time and in the right bio-rhythms, so that you can perform perfectly in the race - because it´s unusual to be competing at this time of day.

Life goes on as normal over and around the brightly lit circuit
Courtesy of Mercedes AMG Petronas

Mark Gillian, Chief Operations Engineer, Williams provides an interesting take on the problems encountered as a result of the high heat and humidity:

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.

The night Race always throws up interesting photographs,
Barrichello in the light surrounded by darkness
Courtesy of Williams F1

McLaren provide the following Singapore "Facts" for the snippet hungry F1 audience:

1. As the Singapore night race schedule is run to a timetable to suit European TV schedules, drivers and team members don’t readjust their body clock to the far-east time difference. They sleep from 5am until mid-afternoon – blacking out windows in their rooms
2. The 2008 Singapore Grand Prix was the first night-time event in Formula 1 history
3. The Marina Bay circuit which hosts the Singapore Grand Prix is one of only five anti-clockwise circuits on the Formula 1 calendar, alongside Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi, Interlagos in Brazil, Istanbul Park in Turkey and the new Yeongam track in South Korea
4. Drivers are on full throttle for less than 50 per cent of the lap in Singapore
5. The inaugural Singapore Grand Prix in 2008 marked the debut of an electronic flag system to supplement the conventional warning flags at the marshal posts
6. The nature of the Marina Bay street circuit is tight, twisty and very narrow in places with many first- and second-gear corners. As a result of the low average speeds, the MP4-25 will be set-up for a high aerodynamic downforce configuration
7. The lighting system for the Marina Bay street circuit uses 1500 2000-watt projectors on 240 steel pylons, linked by 110,000 metres of power cable to 12 twin-power generators. It produces 3000 lux illumination which is four times brighter than a sports stadium
8. Lewis’s victory in the 2009 Singapore Grand Prix was the 60th grand prix victory of the McLaren-Mercedes partnership
9. Running in an anti-clockwise direction, the circuit crosses two bridges and travels beneath a grandstand
10. The 5.073km Marina Bay circuit passes several famous Singapore landmarks including Saint Andrew's Cathedral, City Hall, the Supreme Court and the Esplanade Bridge

Overtaking is difficult in this Monacoesque street environment. Giampaolo Dall’Ara, Head of Track Engineering for Sauber F1 describes it in their Singapore Preview:

Singapore is a street circuit with lots of corners and short straights. Therefore overtaking is difficult, which makes qualifying particularly important.

The cars always seem to look better under the lights
Courtesy of Sauber F1

Can you believe that Pedro De La Rosa has never raced Singapore? This is his first trip, as he says in the HRT Preview:

I’ve never raced at Singapore but I know the circuit because of my simulator work as a test driver for McLaren. It’s a spectacular track and probably the toughest circuit on the brakes in the entire Championship besides being a very physically demanding race because of the heat and humidity

Keeping close to the barriers is essential to a good lap
Courtesy of HRT F1

Pirelli's preview says that a good lap means the cars will mean:

The driver tends to leave the braking as late as possible, turning in and decelerating at the same time. This subjects the tyre to both longitudinal and lateral forces at the same time, working the structure hard.

Photo: Charles Coates/LAT Photographicref
Courtesy of Pirelli

Pre-Singapore Snippets: F1 shortcuts and machinations

Alternator Failure Revisited - whose fault is it?

Germany's Auto Bild Motorsport broke the news that Red Bull are pushing Renault to change alternator suppliers from Magneti Marelli to an alternative (such as McLaren apparently).  This follows three failures on  Vettel's Red Bull's over the course of the season so far and a recent failure on the Renault test car last week.

Dietrich Mateschitz said in the interview: "I want Renault to separate from its supplier Magneti Marelli and use someone else." If this part hadn't failed Auto Bild reckons that Vettel would have another 33 points in the bag at this stage, bringing him within touching distance of Fernando Alonso and Red Bull are worried that one more failure would cost them the Championship this year.

Remi Taffin, Renault Sport F1 Head of Track Operations, said that this is now "on the agenda" even though they are unsure of the reason behind the failures.

One theory which is going around is that Adrian Newey has packaged the engine so tightly into the chassis cover that the cooling opotions cannot operate effectively.  If that were the case then it might explain why Lotus, Williams, and Caterham have not suffered the same issue.  It is also worth noting that Ferrari who also use Magneti Marelli have not suffered a failure to date.

The detailed findings of the test failure last week have not yet been released.

Do you change a parts supplier if one of your customers is experiencing a problem with their packaging solution?

Romain Grosjean - here to help out!

In his Singapore Preview Romain Grosjean has said:

I wouldn’t say that for the rest of the season I’m here just to play a supporting role; if I have the opportunity to reach the podium, or even a win, then I will take it. Of course, I want the team to achieve the best results it can and if you look at the points difference between me and Kimi it would be foolish to think only of my own results. Let’s hope we can have a fantastic end to the season for me, Kimi and the team.

Does this mean we'll see him pulling over at Singapore should he find himself in front of his team-mate who currently sits in 3rd place in the Driver's Championship?

Lotus are bringing a few upgrades to this race so it will be interesting to see if they improve in relation to their rivals or simply maintain the status quo.

Grosjean is, of course, coming off his one race ban for causing an avoidable accident at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Heikki on Ferrari radar

I Can't remember where I saw this but it was worth bringing up because lots of the web activity has centred on suggestions that Heikki might end up at McLaren should Lewis depart.

Finnish reports say Heikki Kovalainen's management has been summoned to Maranello.

Heikki, who is only 30 (even though he seems to have been around forever) is back on the market after three years with Lotus/Caterham. It's reported that the Finnish broadcaster MTV3 said representatives of Kovalainen's management team at IMG Worldwide will travel to Maranello next week.
I'd be delighted for Heikki if it weren't for the fact that, regardless of what they say, he'd be expected to play a supporting driver's role.

Should anyone take on the second seat at Ferrari when it is so plainly makes you the second driver and kills your personal drive to win?

I think I'll name the second Ferrari "the passion-killer"; does anyone disagree? Luca? Stefano? (Bueller? Anyone? Anyone?).

Chips are down at Lewis's Management Co.

Can you believe that it is being reported that Michael Schumacher could be close to signing a new one-year contract extension for 2013?

(Please bear with me - I couldn't resist the poker analogy but by God even I think it went too far - but I was committed to using it - Ed)

Hamilton's management have played all their cards using the leaked Mercedes offer to raise the stakes.  

Now it may be that Mercedes are running out of patience with Lewis, or are unwilling to be used where they thought a deal was imminent.

Michael is probably relatively ambivalent at this stage as to whether he stays or goes and would be happy to help out Mercedes and Ross Brawn if they were in a bind.

Lewis has now said that finalising his future can wait, clearly to try to eke out the last few chips from the McLaren pot, but McLaren are looking to see what cards Lewis is holding by leaking a possible interest in Perez.

If Mercedes fold Lewis will be left with a pair of twos and may well lose his shirt.

(Apologies and thank you to those who persevered. I wish I had some reward for you...but no - Ed)

Singapore GP Preview: Tyre Wear, Pit Stop Strategy, and Safety Car key can determine Victory

These three elements defined last years Singapore GP for the F1 Teams and are likely to do so again next weekend.

Tyre preservation is a huge issue in Singapore.  In their Singapore GP Preview Pirelli say:

In the opening sequence of corners from turns one to three for example, there is a double change in direction that places particularly heavy demands on the tyres.The driver tends to leave the braking as late as possible, turning in and decelerating at the same time. This subjects the tyre to both longitudinal and lateral forces at the same time, working the structure hard.

And the fact is that last year all of the teams were hugely aware of that fact, with Button (who came second in 2011) stating in the post race interview that:

I was being told throughout the race to look after the car and the tyres; the only time I was really able to push was in the last 12 laps, when I chased down Seb on the super-soft tyre

In that race McLaren opted for a 3-stop strategy with Button, as did Red Bull with Vettel, the 2011 winner, Webber, who came third and Ferrari with Alonso in fourth.

Clearly it worked out as the fastest option with a good pit-stop taking in and around 30 seconds to complete from entry to exit.

The four stop strategy which was adopted by other drivers in 2011 cost those cars over 2 minutes in the pit-lane, versus the 1m30secs odd of those in the first four.

It may explain why, from fifth down there were three two stoppers in Di Resta (6th), Sutil (8th), and (of course) Perez (10th)

The anomalies in the scoring come from 5th down.

Hamilton who finished 5th actually pitted 5 times, due to one of his "coming-togethers" with Massa last year, while Massa took 4 pits-tops finishing an angry 9th, his race having been ruined by Hamilton's disastrous overtaking attempt on lap 13, at Turn 7.  Rosberg in 7th was the only other points scorer and, as with the top four he pitted 3 times.

Last years stats would appear to show that, unless you have a front running, dominant car, a two stop strategy may serve to get you points at the lower end of the top ten while the "conservative" strategy would dictate 3 stops. The Hamilton/Massa anomaly is exactly that and was facilitated in no small way by the arrival of the safety car onto the track on lap 29.

Having praised Pirelli and the teams in respect of their understanding and use of tyres over the last three GP's, this night race and the soft and supersoft Pirelli's will test just how confident the teams are in their ability to read the tyres.

If you factor in a much improved Sauber from last year which still seems to be easy on its boots, who's to say that Sergio or Kamui cannot push hard to reach the top step this race.  That would be a worthy result for a team that has shown consistent and constant improvement over the last couple of years.

Entering into the final 7 races in two months, all away from the factories there is another factor which needs to be taken into account in terms of the constructor's championship.  Are some teams going to stop upgrading this years package due to the race pressures inflicted by 7 far flung races in 2 months and hope to ride the season out in what they have?

I'm looking at the likes of Lotus who are 91 points clear of Mercedes and who have new parts to introduce but will do so at Japan; at Force India who are only 9 points ahead of Williams and are talking the talk but can they walk the walk (pilgrim); and at Toro Rosso who have points relative to the following three teams who have none?

Could this be the time where Williams, Mercedes, and Caterham (hopefully) can capitalise on all the pressures of being away from base?

Mercedes has the money, Williams have the desire and I can only hope that Caterham have the will and luck to get the all too valuable first point in F1.

Renault Describes Engine Characteristics of Singapore F1 Circuit

SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX ENGINE FACTS AND FIGURES:

Twenty two of the 23 corners are taken in first to third gear, so for the vast majority of the lap the engine is working at between 8,000rpm and 13,000rpm on the corner exits. The engine maps need to deliver good driveability through the low speed and low rev range as accurate torque response and stability are key. Getting the correct gear ratios in the lower level can also improve grip, and ultimately lap time, in this respect.

The engine is only given a chance to breathe on two short straights, the pit straight and then the curved straight between turns five and seven. In fact seventh gear will only be engaged three times per lap; only Monaco has a lower usage.

The stop-start nature of the track and the short bursts of acceleration between the turns make Singapore one of the least fuel efficient of the season and consumption per kilometre is extremely high compared to the last event at Monza. Getting the fuel load for the start is one of the major challenges of the race as engineers will also have to consider the likelihood of weather changes and safety cars.

While temperatures during the night are typically lower than during the day (between 5 and 6°C cooler), the enclosed nature of the track between the buildings keeps ambient temperature high. Cooling systems are therefore carefully monitored, particularly since the cars are going relatively slowly and often circulating closely to each other, raising the operating temperatures further.

Singapore’s equatorial location gives it a very tropical climate and humidity is often over 90%. The high water content in the air displaces the air being ingested into the engine via the air filter, reducing the amount of oxygen that can be combusted with the fuel. This makes the engine output less powerful so different engine modes will be used to negate the power loss.

The full Renault Sport F1 Singapore GP preview is available on the engine supplier's dedicated page on the right-hand sidebar.

Toto Wolff, F1Speedwriter, Lotus Rear Wing and Kubica

A number of interesting stories which I enjoyed but were unlikely to require a full blog post.

Toto Wolff discusses his role at Williams

In 2013 we will have a carry-over of the car so I’d like to see us in the points more regularly. Pastor hopefully stays with us and has learned his lessons - so the next logical step would be the top six in the constructors’ - or even top five. In 2014 all is new - new car, new engine - so everything is up in the air again, but nevertheless I see us as one of the top teams. Whether this means winning races regularly or challenging for the championship, I don’t know, but the perception should be that this team is winning races and is on the podium regularly.

I'm glad to see Toto appreciates Williams rightful place towards the front of the grid and trust from his comments that Sir Frank won't face the same fate as Adam Parr.

Gerald Donaldson bemoans the loss of True Grit

Today's climate of middle-of-the-road moderation, which encourages a safe but sure approach, means drivers can more easily stay within their comfort zones. As a result the majority are more likely to set their minds in cruise control and become passive to the point that they are unable to summon up the sheer force of will that personifies a fighting spirit.

Interesting post from one of the great F1 Journalists which definitely requires me to reassess my position in respect of penalising the likes of Grosjean and Maldonado for what is essentially trying too hard.  Safety is all well and good, but if it affects the racing mindset then the result is dull procession.  There's an interesting conflicting position from Keith Collantine of F1 Fanatic in the comments section.

Lotus are bringing a new rear wing to Singapore

"We believe we've been able to produce a rear wing which is at the higher end of the downforce spectrum but still able to allow the lion's share of the DRS potential which is more difficult to achieve at high downforce levels. It will be interesting to see how it works on track."

The real question is...Where the hell is this double DRS which first made its appearance at Belgium (without any running)?  It never made it to Monza and now its on the backburner until Japan.  Is this madness? Does it not work? I'm wondering if we'll see the new Mercedes system run at Singapore - If it does, given its reported similarity to the Lotus Solution, we'll have a good idea that the Lotus package isn't all its cracked up to be.

Kubica Crashes

Another rally smash for Kubica but both he and his co-driver are uninjured.  The picture on this webpage gives an idea of what happened.  I was delighted to hear that he'd won The Ronde Gomitolo di Lana tarmac rally the weekend before last but was also saddened due to the fact that the coverage I read of that win all said that his right arm was heavily strapped up and was not used at the podium ceremony afterwards.

I have to admit to being conflicted.  I still want to see him back in F1, but, as he himself said in his interview with Autosport before his last rally, he doesn't know when or if that will be.

Massa does not know his future

What is going on at Ferrari? I certainly don't know given that they're one of the teams which have not yet responded to my request for media access.  I can tell you this though, Felipe Massa is in the dark too, nobody has talked to him about his future at the team.

This excerpt from the Ferrari Website puts it in a nutshell:

If one wants a good night’s sleep, it’s best not to have too many worries on one’s mind and although Massa currently does not know what the future holds for him after the Brazilian Grand Prix, the Ferrari man appears to be facing the situation calmly. “There is no news on my future at the moment, but there’s no doubt that good results will help,” he confirmed. “I just need to keep pushing hard and getting good results, in the hope of hearing some good news soon. It’s always better to know what the situation is, as of course I want to know what I’m doing next year. But I can tell you that it’s never happened that I’m in the car in the middle of the race and I start thinking about what I’ll do next year! However, I know that results are what matter, so if the situation arises where you have to take a risk in the race, then you have to think carefully about it, as you know your priority is to finish the race.”

Now, do correct me if I'm wrong, but we do know that Mark Webber was offered next year's drive with the Scuderia because he said so and nobody at Ferrari denied it: And, let me ask this: Why are the Ferrari website making reference to the fact that Felipe "currently does not know what the future holds for him after the Brazilian Grand Prix"?  How nasty is that when he knows they've been in contact with other drivers?

Felipe knows what they want so why does he want to remain with a team who will only offer him the drive if they can't find anyone else to play patsy to Alonso?  I'd be out of there faster than a Brazilian Tapir in a room full of hungry Jaguars.


I've been arguing for the last two years, even before Melbourne in 2011, that he needs to be nurtured again in order that he can rediscover how to race for the win.

I was wrong.  He is no longer a patient, he's a racing driver.  He needs to know that the Team is relying on his performance; that he is not a Number 2.  He needs to be back in the mix.

The question for Felipe is where he might go?

I want Massa fighting for wins; fighting for titles.  I think he was good enough before his accident and has lost nothing of his racecraft since.  What he has lost is simple to explain:

He has lost equal status within the Ferrari Team

With the arrival of Fernando Alonso Ferrari have done what they did with Michael.  They have gathered all of the resources and focused them on his car.  One of the "resources" which have been focused on Alonso is Felipe.  This is to the detriment of Massa's racing abilities and he must be feeling somewhat sidelined.

If you remember Kimi at Ferrari; it was clear that Massa was given equal status and this led to his sadly unsuccessful championship run.

The problem now is that, since his accident Ferrari have "given him time" to recover.  I can imagine the scene where they tell him to relax - just support Alonso - don't feel under any pressure to perform immediately - take your time.

It's easy to fall into the routine.

Now, with Ferrari looking elsewhere for Alonso's support, it's Felipe's opportunity.  Get out! Find a team that want results. Go racing.  For the first time in three years it looks like there may be seats available at the top table.