Category: Previews

Singapore Grand Prix Preview Quotes – Mercedes F1 Team

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes
“The Singapore Grand Prix is a fantastic occasion and the whole weekend has one of the best atmospheres of the year. For the drivers, it is one of the toughest races from a physical perspective as there are so many corners and no long straights where you can relax. It’s also a very long race which runs close to the two-hour time limit. The chicane has been removed for this year which I’m pleased about, and the track should suit our car so I hope we can have a good weekend there. My best finish in Singapore to date has been second place back in 2008 and, of course, I would love to improve on that!”

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
“I have always really enjoyed the Singapore Grand Prix weekend and the unique ‘night’ timetable that we have to follow there. It certainly makes a change from the usual race weekend and it’s actually very easy to do if you plan your sleeping and eating patterns well. As a street circuit, the Marina Bay track layout really suits my style. It’s quite a testing circuit and you need to work the car hard the whole way round the lap to make the most of the tight corners and braking zones. We’ve had a tough couple of weekends in Belgium and Italy but I know that everyone at the team is determined to bounce back from here and make the most of the opportunities over the last seven races of the season.”

Ross Brawn, Mercedes team principal
“With seven races left of the Formula One season, we start the season-ending flyaway races in Singapore. The Singapore Grand Prix is always a fantastic weekend for Formula One and provides a great spectacle for the fans in the city and the viewers on global television. It’s become a highlight of the calendar for many and the challenge of working late under the floodlights is enjoyed by the teams and drivers alike. The Marina Bay track layout is tricky, one of the slowest circuits on the calendar, and the punishing heat and humidity provide an extra challenge for the drivers and cars. There has been a lot of hard work at our factories in Brackley and Brixworth since the summer shutdown and the developments that we have found will be introduced during the upcoming flyaway races. Whilst our design and development priorities are naturally increasing towards our 2014 efforts, our aim is to extract the maximum from the car we are racing and regain our second position in the constructors’ championship. This will require a big effort from the team combined with consistent points finishes from Nico and Lewis.”

Toto Wolff, Mercedes team executive director
“This weekend’s race in Singapore begins a gruelling series of seven races in ten weekends for the team and we are all focused on regaining some of the momentum we lost at the past two races. We expect the return to maximum-downforce configuration to suit our car and we may see another shift in the competitive order between the teams. The Singapore Grand Prix is a highlight of the Formula One calendar, with its unique setting and night race format, and provides the cars and drivers with tough tests of reliability and concentration during a race which usually lasts the full two-hour time limit. We will bring new developments to the car once again for this race and we are all focused on maximising the opportunities for both Lewis and Nico, in order to re-establish ourselves in second position in the constructors’ standings.”

Photo by the Mercedes F1 Twitter Team.

September 19, 2013
Singapore GP Preview Quotes – Ferrari

Preview Quotes from the Ferrari boys ahead of this weekend’s Singapore GP.

Fernando Alonso, Ferrari
“This is a very demanding race from the physical point of view and also mentally, because as it takes place at night, it changes your rhythm a bit over the weekend. It’s a very special race with no room for mistakes, but it’s a track I like and where I have usually gone quite well, getting four podiums from five starts, so again this year, I’m tackling the weekend in a positive frame of mind, with great confidence that I can do well again. As a street circuit, it’s a track with a high risk factor, so the possibility is always there to make a mistake. I’d say the last sector, with Turns 18 and 19 that pass under a grandstand where you can easily make a mistake, is the most critical point on the track, where a small loss of concentration can end your race.”

Felipe Massa, Ferrari
“Singapore is one of the most tiring races on the calendar, or maybe the most tiring, because it is the longest race of the year, going the full two hours. Conditions are very humid even if we actually race at night. You sweat a lot in the car and you don’t get much air coming through the cockpit as the speeds are low. All in all, it’s the toughest race physically, but also psychologically, with it taking place at night, so that you see less, combined with the fact you are always so close to the barriers. Visibility is good under the lights but it’s not the same as driving in sunlight, which adds to the difficulty. But it’s fun and different to be there at night and makes for a great spectacle for the fans and an interesting event for us drivers.
“You can’t single out one aspect of the circuit which is more important than another. Everything counts here. If you make the slightest mistake at a corner, then you pay a high price. You have to take care at every corner and it’s a long track – one lap here is like two at Monaco, so precision and consistency are important, especially in qualifying when you have to put everything together perfectly. In fact, I’d say it’s harder to win at Singapore than Monaco. The track is longer and more complicated; a lap is around 1m 48s, while Monaco is much shorter.”

Photo by the Ferrari Twitter Team

September 19, 2013
F1 2013: Singapore GP Preview – Singapore’s city lights ignite

The Formula 1 paddock has departed the European continent for the final time in the 2013 season. Now the final pushes towards championship glory, towards a race seat for next year, or towards a few extra points begin. The final stretch of the calendar begins with Singapore’s Marina Bay circuit, round thirteen of the championship.

The initial announcement of Formula 1 under floodlights was met with skepticism and questions about whether a spectacle of such proportions was even with the realms of possibility. It became a reality in 2008 as Formula 1 set off for Singapore and its floodlit city streets. Images of gleaming bodywork, glowing exhausts and city skylines quickly became a spectacle worthy of the greatest motorsport series in the world.

The Singapore GP still feels relatively new to the Formula 1 calendar but in reality has been a part of the yearly roundabout since 2008 and has already had its fair share of controversy. The inaugural race, won by Renault’s Fernando Alonso, was plunged into a controversy which had been dubbed Crashgate. Team principal of Renault Flavio Briatore ordered Brazilian driver Nelson Piquet Jr. to deliberately crash and force the deployment of the safety car. The intentional crash was arranged in order to provide Fernando Alonso with an advantage by making an early pitstop. Since then the Singapore GP has been thankfully controversy free and filled with memorable race victories.

It comes as no surprise that Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel seem to excel on the Singapore streets. The German has taken the last two victories and share’s the distinction of two race wins around these parts with Fernando Alonso.

Lewis Hamilton won the 2009 edition of the race and could be a favourite to repeat the feat this weekend. As street circuits tend to go they share some similarities amongst each other; it’s no different for Monaco and Singapore. Although the streets of Monte Carlo are not quite as intensely layed out as the Marina Bay circuit it can be considered an indicator. It is in these set of circumstances that Mercedes found themselves leading the pack. If it is to be a similar case this weekend there, hopefully, will be no sign of a procession.

The bumpy Marina Bay circuit requires a return to the high downforce set up and an extreme level of concentration through its complex twenty-three corner layout. Pirelli has made the soft and supersoft compound tyres available for use this weekend; and given the offset previously seen between these two tyres, strategy will play a part during the Singapore GP.

However, the perfect strategy will mean little if the race is ruined by being stuck in traffic. Overtaking on street tracks is always at a premium and Singapore is no exception. A good slot on the grid will be vital to a good position come race day.

The question of how the track remains completely illuminated is answered by using, in total, 1500 lighting projectors to light the driver’s way throughout the 61 lap race Singapore GP.

That leaves only the question of who will top the podium come Sunday.

September 18, 2013
Broadcast Times for the 2013 Formula 1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix

The only night race on the Formula 1 calendar takes place in Singapore at the Marina Bay Circuit. Even though it is a street circuit, it isn’t that slow. There are a few medium speed corners and with turn 10 being modified to just a left hander, instead of the chicane, we can expect lap times to be a bit quicker and also some overtakes into turn 10.

Below are the broadcast times for the 2013 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Circuit (All times are GMT+2):

Free Practice 1: Friday 12:00

Free Practice 2: Friday 15:30

Free Practice 3: Saturday 12:00

Qualifying: Saturday 15:00

Race: Sunday 14:00

As always you can catch our live updates on Twitter (@F1_Madness) and we will have updates for you throughout all three practice sessions.

September 17, 2013
Weather Report for the 2013 Formula 1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix

The Singapore Grand Prix is the 13th stop on the Fomula 1 Calendar. The start of the second round of the fly away races for the season.

The heat and humidity are the biggest concerns for the teams and drivers. The weather for the weekend will be rather hot and humid with temperatures for the Practice Sessions, Qualifying and the race to remain in the mid-twenties. There is a chance of thunderstorms throughout the weekend and we can expect some rain. The rain will make a very interesting addition for the night race.

September 17, 2013
F1 2013: Italian GP Preview: Monza – Definitively Formula 1

These days there aren’t many truly classic racing circuits which still feature prominently. However, as the second half of the 2013 Formula 1 season is upon us the paddock travels to one of the sites that is definitively classic F1 – Monza.

The design of the 5.793 km circuit comprises primarily of lengthy stretches of asphalt interrupted by a couple of chicanes and the famous Parabolica. This layout demands the lowest downforce set-up of any circuit on the calendar, a supple car over the kerbs and a powerful engine.

What is the Italian Grand Prix if there is no mention of Ferrari’s fanatical supporters the Tifosi? The passionately devoted faithful will stream into the circuit by the crack of dawn to cheer and glimpse their heroes as they flash past the jam-packed grandstands in their scarlet Ferrari’s.

It’s more than just fanatical support that will be needed for victory however. Several teams are expected to roll out their final big upgrade packages this weekend in a bid to better their positions relative to the frontrunners; or become frontrunners themselves.

The Lotus F1 team needs improvement and has earmarked this weekend as the acid test for the remainder of their season. The team’s number one driver and most likely championship contender Kimi Raikkonen is 58 points adrift of leader Sebastian Vettel. Any result other than a top three finish this weekend will most likely put an end to the Finn’s F1 championship aspirations. Lotus will be unveiling a long wheelbase car at Monza which is seen as their last role of the dice for the year before turning their attention to the 2014 season.

Fernando Alonso brings his Ferrari home under a bit of cloud. A cloud of speculation at just how much the Spaniard’s loyalty has been stretched by an under performing scarlet Ferrari and rumours about his future with the Maranello based team. Nevertheless, he will be focused completely on the task of beating Red Bull Racing this weekend; and it may not be impossible. It was here where Alonso memorably boosted his F1 championship run with an ultra-passionate victory in 2010. The competition though will be stiff and it will more than likely come from the unrelenting Red Bull team and Sebastian Vettel.

But Red Bull will face their own set of challenges this weekend. Throughout the very successful run that Red Bull has put together over the last three years the compromise on top end speed has repeatedly been made in favour of a better overall aerodynamic package. Is it reasonable then that the champion team should expect the top step of the podium despite neither Vettel nor Mark Webber hardly ever featuring prominently on the speed trap standings?

The championship leader’s fortunes have been mixed at the celebrated Italian circuit. In 2008 Vettel won his first F1 race in wet conditions for Toro Rosso but it has never been a Red Bull stronghold. Therefore, if the triple world champion should take the 25 points this weekend it should also been considered a giant step towards a fourth consecutive F1 world title.

Victory isn’t going to be a foregone conclusion for Vettel this weekend. He is as a determined driver as has ever lined up on a F1 grid but he has to want it more than his Ferrari armed adversary Fernando Alonso and that won’t be easy.

Photo credits: All photos under Wikimedia Commons license.

September 5, 2013
Italian Grand Prix Preview Quotes – Mercedes F1 Team

The Mercedes F1 Team share their Italian Grand Prix Preview Quotes.

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes
“Monza is always one of my favourite races and I love driving the track with its unique high-speed and low-downforce layout. The last European race of the season always has a special atmosphere and the Italian fans are so passionate about Formula One. It’s really cool for me that I speak Italian and can communicate easily with the fans in and around the circuit. To go to Monza with the feeling that we have a quick car is fantastic and I hope we will achieve another strong team result as we did in Belgium. We have to keep pushing now and I know everyone is working really hard at the factories to do just that.”

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
“Monza is a truly amazing circuit and it’s a great feeling to drive at our top speeds of the year there. The layout and atmosphere of Monza are very special and it really feels like you are going back to Formula One’s roots when you race there. The car has a completely different aerodynamic package to anywhere else on the calendar with really low downforce to make the most of the four long straights. My win at the Italian Grand Prix last year was the first of my career at this circuit and it was a great feeling. We had a strong weekend in Belgium with a good team result and that’s what we need to keeping doing in the second half of the season.”

Ross Brawn, Mercedes team principal
“The Italian Grand Prix marks the traditional end of Formula One’s European season and is one of my favourite race weekends on the calendar. Monza has a special atmosphere all of its own with its historic location and the passion of the tifosi making it an inspirational venue. From an engineering perspective, Monza is unique and requires a special low-downforce aerodynamic package to make the most of the high-speed layout which also places great importance on the strength of the engine on the long straights. I was very pleased with the team’s performance in Belgium and the consolidation of our current position of second place in the Constructors’ Championship. We weren’t quite in the position to fight for the win but we will keep pushing hard to close that gap and keep fighting.”

Toto Wolff, Mercedes team executive director
“We scored a good team result at the last race in Belgium, with third and fourth places, and that underlined one of the team’s strengths this year: our drivers. As their performances this season have shown, Lewis and Nico are probably the most closely matched and balanced driver pairing in Formula One. Their combination of speed and consistency has taken Mercedes to second place in the Constructors’ Championship and our clear target is to consolidate this position over the coming races. For the Italian Grand Prix, we will use a refined version of the low-drag package introduced at Spa. We hope to see an improvement in race pace after the lessons we learned over the race weekend in Belgium.”

Photo by the Mercedes F1 Team

September 4, 2013
Monza Preview Quotes – Williams F1 Team

Preview quotes from the Williams F1 Team ahead of the Italian Grand Prix this weekend at Monza.

Pastor Maldonado, Williams
“I really enjoy driving at circuits that are rich in history and Monza is one of the most historic we visit and the fans are incredibly passionate. It’s the fastest track of the season and we will be reaching speeds of up to 340 km/h. Most of the corners are high speed which makes it more of an adrenaline boost and the downforce will be very low on the car which makes it more challenging to drive. This circuit gives everyone the chance to open the car up and see what it is capable of on the long straights. I also have a personal affiliation with the area as I lived very close to the circuit for three years at the start of my career, when I was competing in Formula Renault and Italian F3000, so I enjoy coming back. We had a disappointing result at the Belgian Grand Prix, but our car has good straight line speed so should be suited to this track and hopefully we can continue the progress we made in Hungary and score more points.”

Valtteri Bottas, Williams
“In Monza straight-line speed is very important for lap time as well as overtaking or defending in a race so we will run the car with the lowest amount of downforce and drag of the season. Tyre wear will not be as big an issue at this race as some other circuits and because of the high pit loss teams will be trying to pit as little as possible. This is an old fashioned circuit that is high speed and has a number of good overtaking opportunities and traditionally leads to some very close and competitive racing which makes it a good spectacle for the fans. I have fond memories of Monza as this is where I won the GP3 title in 2011, so hopefully I can draw upon that experience and have a good weekend.”

Xevi Pujolar, Williams chief race engineer
“The Autodromo Nazionale Monza is another historic track which we enjoying visiting. It is a circuit of extremes and it differs significantly from most Formula One circuits. It features the highest top and average speed of all circuits, with the second lowest turn angle of the year. It has a high pit loss time and a low fuel effect, which typically pushes the race towards a one-stop strategy.

“As always it is a compromise in terms of set-up, however low drag is favoured here due to the long straights and high track efficiency, although the lack of downforce makes the chicanes tricky. Monza, alongside Monaco, is one of the two races where teams will often take specific aerodynamic components only used at those tracks. The brakes are under considerable mechanical stress due to the magnitude of the change of speed at the end of the long straights, although the long straights do aid in cooling them down again. Monza marks our last outing before the final flyaway races of the season so we will be aiming to leave Europe with some more points on the board.”

Remi Taffin, Renault Sport F1 head of track operations
“Monza represents the ultimate test for an engine’s outright performance and reliability. Over three-quarters of the lap is spent at full throttle and the maximum speed goes over 330 km/h four times per lap. The cars will also be at the highest average speed of the year; very close to the 250 km/h mark. Only three chicanes break the flow of the lap so drivers try to straightline them as much as possible, however this places its own demands on the engines as the drivers ride the kerbs, momentarily unloading the internals of the units. The phases of heavy braking and acceleration only compound this challenge so we tend to use a new engine where possible.”

Photo by the Williams F1 Twitter Team.

September 4, 2013
Italian Grand Prix Preview Quotes: Force India

Preview quotes from the Force India Team ahead of this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix.

Paul di Resta, Force India

“Based on our past performance you’d say that Monza and Singapore are two of the stronger tracks for us. I’d like to say we can be competitive, but we have to see how it is when we get there on Friday morning. We had a very good qualifying session last year and we ended up fourth fastest so that’s a good sign for this year.”

Adrian Sutil, Force India

“The car is very efficient and we showed good top speed in Spa, so I expect the same this weekend. We are usually quick at Monza and I remember Paul qualified well last year. Also, it’s the track where I got my best result in Formula One in 2009 so historically it’s one of our best tracks.”

Dr Vijay Mallya, Force India team principal
“Like Spa, the track suits us, so we hope to be able to capitalise on that. But, as I’ve always said, my direction for the technical team has been to develop a car that is competitive on all tracks, which is something we have achieved for the last few years.”

September 4, 2013
Monza Preview Quotes – Pirelli

Pirelli’s Paul Hembery shares his thoughts about what we can expect from a tyre perspective at their home race.

Pirelli
Paul Hembery, Pirelli motorsport director

“Monza is obviously our home race, only around half an hour away from our headquarters in Milan. It’s very easy to see why the place has been called ‘the temple of speed’: it’s actually the quickest circuit that we go to all year, and the long straights and fast corners put plenty of energy through the tyres. This means that overheating and blistering can be a problem if not controlled. So correct tyre management can have a very important effect on the race and the strategy, and this is something that the teams will assess during free practice on Friday. Not only the performance of the tyres is tested here but also the durability, as there are plenty of high-speed impacts with the kerbs, which represent another important aspect of this race. Monza is one of the most popular races of the year, with lots of tifosi, and we are very much looking forward to it.”

Photo by the Dell Twitter Team

September 4, 2013