Tag: f1

F1 2015: Singapore GP Review – Scintillating Seb Wins In Singapore

There is something about the streets of Singapore and Sebastian Vettel that form an irresistible combination.

As the fireworks lit up the night sky of Singapore it was Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel that ignited the city streets with an electrifying victory. The four time world champion hit the ground running as he obliterated the field in Saturday’s qualifying to take pole position. There wasn’t much looking back after that as he commanded all of the sixty-one laps to the chequered flag.

A textbook getaway off the line and a blistering pace built the gap to second placed Daniel Ricciardo to five seconds within a handful of laps. The sister Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen kept the Aussie Red Bull driver within sight but was never able to make a move for the position. Raikkonen confirmed after the race that his tyres gave up quite early on his stints. The Finn expressed a bit of surprise at ending up in third given his tyre struggles.

For Seb Vettel there were no such worries as he expertly controlled his pace to secure career victory number 43. After such a dominating period with Red Bull, which yielded four world titles, some thought the move to Ferrari was odd. Yet, it turns out that it was arguably the best thing that could’ve happened to him and the Ferrari team. Many an observation has been made of Vettel’s work ethic and dedication behind the scenes and it is clear that the team are as infatuated with the German as he is with them.

In fourth place is where Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg finished the race after a dismal weekend for the team. The championship leading team were on the back foot from the outset on Friday as they appeared significantly off the pace. Many, including Daniel Ricciardo, expected the Silver Arrows to turn it on for qualifying but that never materialized. Instead, Hamilton and Rosberg were summarily spanked and relegated to the third row of the grid.

As if to add insult to a serious lack of pace unreliability hit Lewis Hamilton as the Brit suffered his first retirement of the season. No one from Mercedes were willing to point out why they were suddenly lacking in pace but they almost certainly have a good idea of how their advantage abruptly evaporated.

It is uncanny how this ultra dominant team seem to not be as good when they aren’t making the running. A warning of overheated brakes came early on from the pitwall to Rosberg and then a mysterious technical failure for Hamilton. There will be much to ponder on in the next couple of days for Mercedes but don’t expect them not to roar back to life in Japan. They will.

The safety car probability around the Marina Bay Circuit remains 100% as it was deployed on two occasions in the race. First it was to collect the Force India of Nico Hulkenberg after he smashed into the side of Williams driver Felipe Massa. The incident, into turn one, was investigated by stewards and Hulkenberg was, rightfully, slapped with a three place grid drop at the next race.

The second safety car period came about as result of a man strolling on the circuit seemingly without a care in the world. It’s always a spine chilling sight to see anyone on the track in the middle of a grand prix. Thankfully, the man didn’t cause any problems before jumping over the wall and off the circuit.

Valtteri Bottas made the best of a difficult weekend for Williams with fifth place ahead of Daniil Kvyat. The Russian started in fourth place but an issue in the pits dropped him down the order. Force India’s Sergio Perez came home in an anonymous seventh ahead of the feisty Max Verstappen in eighth. The second Toro Rosso, driver by Carlos Sainz, finished in ninth but much to the chagrin of the team who had ordered Verstappen to swop position with teammate Sainz. The 17-year-old flat out refused the team order and maintained his position.

As the youngest ever F1 driver Verstappen as already proven that he has enormous potential and that he can stand up for himself. Team orders is always a divisive point on which people often disagree but Verstappen would’ve won some fans with this move. “When we put on our helmets we are rivals,” said Verstappen after the race.

Brazilian driver Felipe Nasr completed a solid drive for Sauber to snatch the final point on offer in tenth. Along with the retirements of Hamilton and Hulkenberg was Felipe Massa with a suspected gearbox issue. The two McLaren’s also had to end their respective races prematurely.

A notable mention goes to American driver Alexander Rossi who made his F1 debut this weekend for the Manor Marussia team. Rossi has agreed terms to drive five of the last seven races of the season and performed impressively to finish ahead of Will Stevens who has been with the team since the start of the season.

Not many would’ve thought that with six races to go in the 2015 season that a Ferrari driver could be in with a shout of taking the title. Yes, Singapore and its characteristics complimented the Ferrari but the engine upgrade introduced for Monza has made a telling impact. Yes, Vettel sits forty-nine points adrift of Hamilton and yes Mercedes won’t suddenly disappear from the top of the timing sheets each weekend. But this was a stunning reminder that Ferrari will ready and able to pounce on the smallest of slips.

September 20, 2015
F1 2015: Singapore Third Free Practice Report – Vettel Dominates

Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel dominated the timing sheets at the end of the third free practice session ahead of Sunday’s Singapore grand prix.

The hour long session came to its conclusion with Sebastian Vettel and teammate Kimi Raikkonen in the first two position for the Ferrari team. As if to underline their pace from Friday’s practice sessions both Red Bull drivers in the form of Dannil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo set the third and fourth quickest times respectively.

The first of the Mercdes was Lewis Hamilton in fifth position ahead of teammate Nico Rosberg. However, it is expected that Mercedes will literally and figuratively ‘turn up the wick’ when it comes time for the all important qualifying session. McLaren’s Fernando Alonso set the seventh fastest time overall whilst teammate Jenson Button was thirteenth fastest. Williams didnt inspire a great deal of confidence with their pace as Valtteri Bottas managed only the eleventh fastest time overall and Felipe Massa was down in fourteenth place.

Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez were expected to show a good turn of pace in their B-spec Force India but may be saving their best for quali. The two drivers ended the session twelfth and sixteenth respectively.

Final free practice three standings:

September 19, 2015
F1 2015: Singapore Free Practice Two Report – Kvyat Quickest

Red Bull Racing’s Daniil Kvyat lapped the Marina Bay circuit quickest of all to top the timing sheet at the end of the second free practice session in Singapore.

The Russian driver delivered a stunning lap of 1:46:142 to snag the top spot ahead of Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari who trailed by 0.039 in second place. Daniel Ricciardo confirmed Red Bull’s one lap place with the third quickest time and couldve gone even quicker were it not for a bit of traffic on his quick lap.

Lewis Hamilton was fourth quickest ahead of the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel. In sixth place it was Checo Perez with a 1:46:659 and only then Nico Rosberg, in eight, on a 1:46:781. It could just have been a scrappy run for the German but his long run pace wasnt encouraging either.

While teammate Hamilton lapped in the 1:51s on his supersoft tyres Rosberg struggled to maintain a consistent pace. Red Bull, in the form of both Kvyat and Ricciardo, turned an impressive pace on both compounds of tyres whilst Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen put their hat in the ring too. It is isnt quite to the business end of the weekend and Mercedes may yet still blow the field away; but as it stands, dare we say it, it appears as if the Silver Arrows may have a fight on their hands.

Earlier in the session Manor F1 driver Will Stevens acquainted himself with the barrier of turn eight and momentarily brought out the red flag. It’s already proving to be quite an expensive weekend for Manor as both their drivers have tangled with the unforgiving barriers of the Singapore street circuit.

Final free practice 2 standings:

September 18, 2015
F1 2015: Singapore Free Practice 1 Report – Rosberg Heads The Field

Nico Rosberg has topped the timing sheets in the first free practice session for Sunday’s Singapore grand prix.

The Mercedes driver topped the 1 and a half hour session throughout with teammate Lewis Hamilton a scant three tenths off his ultimate pace. Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo showed strongly in third ahead of both Ferrari’s of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen.

The feared murky conditions appeared to have no impact on running as dusk quickly gave way darkness as the floodlights took over. Several drivers showed their prowess as they handled some impressive power slides into turn one. Apart from a couple of brushes with a few barriers the drivers were keeping their noses clean. That was until the newest F1 rookie Alexander Rossi crashed underneath the grandstand, destroying the right-hand side of his Manor F1 car. The American driver has been catapulted into a race seat and will compete in five of the last seven race weekends.

McLaren’s Fernando Alonso showed an improved turn of pace to end the session 11th fastest. Williams, who usually play it close to the vest in the early part of the weekend, were 6th fastest with Valtteri Bottas while Felipe Massa seem to run the standard program as set the 17th quickest time overall.

Final Free Practice 1 standings:

September 18, 2015
Weather Report for the 2015 Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix

We are in Singapore for Round 13 of the Formula 1 World Championship which takes place at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

The Marina Bay Circuit is one of the most intense tracks on the Formula 1 calendar and not only is it a mental challenge for the drivers but the physical side of it comes into play much more in Singapore. The humidity that hangs in the air makes things rather uncomfortable for a driver in the cockpit. Couple that with a long race that lasts almost two hours and you have one of the toughest races on the calendar.

The Marina Bay Street circuit with its 23 corners is the second slowest track of the season, with the slowest being Monaco. The rear tyres are worked very hard around the street circuit as the cars require the mechanical grip from the tyres for traction out of the slow corners. Drivers will also depend heavily for front end grip under braking to get the car pointed in the right direction.

Pirelli have brought the red super soft(option) and yellow soft(prime) tyres to the Singapore Grand Prix. The high working range soft tyre will suit the higher track temperatures. Pirelli say that a three stop strategy is most likely and the performance gap expected between the two compounds is between 1.8s and 2.2s.

The tropical climate of Singapore brings in thunder showers during the afternoons with high humidity throughout the day. Thundershowers are expected each afternoon before the practice and qualifying sessions which will wash the track of any rubber that was laid down. This will present the drivers with a green track almost every session.

Despite it being a night race, ambient temperatures rage in the mid-to-high twenties. Track temperatures are expected to drop significantly in the evenings.

All three days are expected to be dry in the evenings with some cloud around on Friday and Sunday. Saturday nigh is expected to be clear. Temperatures for all three nights will hover in the mid-to-high 20’s.

Much has been said about the haze in Singapore at the beginning of the week. While conditions are expected to improve for the Grand Prix weekend there will be some degree of haze around the city.

Photo by courtesy Pirelli

September 17, 2015
Rossi Gets Manor F1 Drive

The Manor F1 Team announced on Wednesday afternoon that it has signed American Alexander Rossi for five of the remaining 7 rounds of the Formula 1 World Championship.

Rossi(23) will replace Roberto Merhi and will make his debut at this weekends Singapore Grand Prix. He will race at Singapore, Japan, America, Mexico and Brazil. He will not race for Manor in Russia and Abu Dhabi.

Merhi who will make way for Rossi will be part of the team in a reserve driver capacity and will be in the car at Sochi and Abu Dhabi.

Rossi becomes the first American driver in F1 since Scott Speed who drove for Toro Rosso in 2007 and is by no means a new face at the team. He was the teams reserve driver for 2014 and took part in Free Practice 1 at the Belgian Grand Prix.

“I’m very thankful to race for the Manor Marussia F1 team and for their continued belief in me,” said Rossi

“I’ve been prepared for this opportunity for quite a while now.

“Many will know from 2014 that the team and I already have a strong relationship and there’s a bit of unfinished business for me here.

“This is a small F1 team that has been through so much. They exemplify passion and true strength of character, and their comeback this season is extraordinary.

“I’m honored to be part of this legacy and their continued growth and success.

“Singapore is a circuit I really enjoy and the timing of my debut could not be more perfect. There’s a lot of work ahead and I’m looking forward to a busy end to the 2015 season.”

Manor Team Principal John Booth had this to say about Rossi’s signing: “We are delighted to sign Alexander as Race Driver.

“He is widely-regarded as a driver who is on the cusp of an exciting F1 career and his current form in the GP2 Series has done much to reinforce his clear potential.

“Signing Alexander is a continuation of our proud record of providing young drivers with the opportunity to showcase their talents.

“We believe he will do a great job and look forward to seeing him race for the first time this weekend in Singapore.”

Booth went on to thank Merhi for his professionalism in the matter noting that the Spaniard understands the situation. He also said that the team have not yet finalised their 2016 driver line up.

“While Roberto is obviously disappointed, he understands that this decision is in the long-term interests of the team and we thank him for his professionalism,” Booth added

“No decision has been made regarding our 2016 driver line-up and we will continue to evaluate our options during the remainder of the season.”

Photo credit: Manor Formula 1 Team

September 16, 2015
F1 2015: Singapore GP Preview – Scores To Settle In Singapore

Formula 1 has swopped the sprawling European country side for the city lights of Singapore as the paddock readies for the thirteenth round of the championship.

As far as street race go the Singapore grand prix doesn’t have that much in common with its so-called Monegasque counterpart. While the Monte Carlo grand prix is steeped in regal history Singapore brings a more modern feel to the paddock.

Singapore made its debut on the calendar back in 2008 as F1’s first ever night race. It would become known for the controversial, pre-planned, crash of then Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr. It was later uncovered that team principal Flavio Briatore has ordered the young Brazilian driver to deliberately crash and induce the deployment of the safety-car to aid teammate Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard would take a second victory around the streets as a Ferrari driver in 2010. It’s a happy hunting ground for Sebastian Vettel too who has seen the chequered flag first on three occasions.

The Marina Bay circuit is a five kilometre test of extreme concentration under intense conditions. Was the race only a handful of laps we’d scoff at the idea that this floodlit circuit could be seriously hard work for drivers. But with sixty-one laps, each with twenty-three corners and oppressive humidity the Singapore grand prix demands both physical and mental concentration of the highest order.

There could be more than two Mercedes in the mix as well. The importance of horsepower can be played down somewhat around a street circuit which could open the door for a few contenders. In Hungary and Monaco Red Bull Racing were well in the mix with both Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo.

If there increased competitiveness is a given this weekend then this is the only clarity that the once near unbeatable team appear to have at this moment. The uncertainty of the team’s future is being fuelled by the fact that its deal with engine supplier Renault runs out at the end of the season. As it stands, it looks as if the only two choices on the table for the Austrian team are either a year-old Ferrari engine or an abrupt adios to the sport. Renault itself is believed to be close in taking a 65% controlling interest in the Lotus team.

Amid the imminent French takeover the struggling Japanese sits Ferrari who will fancy their chances this weekend. Whilst team boss Maurizio Arrivabene has been singing the praises of his drivers the engine department delivered an upgrade for Monza with which Raikkonen was pleasantly surprised. While Singapore doesn’t demand the same straight line speed as Monza the upgrade would have brought a slight improvement to the driveability and power delivery to the engine which is important around the twisting streets.

Two weeks ago Sebastian Vettel delivered a morale boosting second place at the team’s home race. But a boost in confidence won’t be enough to halt the Lewis Hamilton behemoth. It has to start in qualifying where it’s going to require another exceptional run in qualifying if they are to have any say in Sunday’s proceedings.

A 53 point chasm sits between Hamilton and Nico Rosberg and while the numbers are against the German it is in the mental game where he has taken the biggest beating, even without the Monza failure. If Nico Rosberg has the psychological ability to fight back he must now lay it all on the line.

September 16, 2015
Broadcast Times for the 2015 Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix

The start of the second round of the fly-away races takes us to the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore for Round 13 of the Formula 1 World Championship.

The 5.065km track with 23 corners, the most of any circuit this season, winds its way along the streets of Marina Bay in Singapore. The race is regarded as one of the toughest and most grueling races on the F1 calendar. The humid conditions makes it especially tough on the drivers who have to navigate the street circuit, which takes maximum concentration 100% of the time. The race is also quite long, lasting the full 2 hour allocation if a safety car period lasts for a long time or if there are multiple safety car periods. With it being a street circuit the safety car probability is very high.

Apart from the pit-straight and the pit building complex and pit grand stands, the rest of the track is a street circuit. The track is not as narrow as the streets of Monaco and overtaking is possible into Turn 1 and on the run to Turn 7.

There have not been any major changes to the layout to the circuit since its inaugural race in 2007. In 2013, the famous left-right-left-right Singapore Sling chicane was changed to a simple left handed corner(Turn 10) with a faster entry speed.

Earlier in the year, the FIA approved changes to the circuit from Turn 11 till Turn 13. Drivers will now kink left before turning left at Turn 11. The profile of Turn 12 was also changed and the drivers will exit Turn 12 on the left of Anderson Bridge. Turn 13 has been widened by 1 metre to allow for overtaking.

With the race and practice session being held in the evenings and at night, European broadcast times are favorable. 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

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

September 15, 2015
Singapore GP Organizers Stick To Grand Prix Schedule

Singapore Grand Prix organizers are goingahead with the Singapore Grand Prix schedule and have no plans to change the racing and entertainment program.

This comes after reports on Monday that the city-state was covered in a dense cloud of smog which limited visibility. The smog is a result of farmers in Indonesia burning parts of the forest to make way for their plantations.

On Monday the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) was between 127 – 146, in the low to mid sections of the Unhealthy range”. The unhealthy range is 101-200.

The organizers of the Singapore Grand Prix released a statement on Tuesday saying that the Grand Prix will proceed as planned.

“Based on the current PSI levels, there are no plans to amend the published racing and entertainment programme,” read the statement.

The statement goes on to say that because of the changeable conditions, it is hard to predict PSI levels.

“The haze situation is highly changeable not only from day to day, but from hour to hour.

“Therefore, it is currently not possible to reliably predict what the PSI level might be over the race weekend.

“We will continue to work closely with all the relevant government authorities to receive the best possible forecasts when they are available.”

N95 masks have been made available to ticket holders and will be available at at the Circuit at cost price.

The 20:00 update from the National Environmental Agency in Singapore put the 24hr PSI index at 130-161, in the low to mid sections of the Unhealthy range.

According to the NEA, the 24 hour PSI forecast is expected to be in the the mid to high sections of the Unhealthy range and it could enter the very unhealthy range if denser haze clouds are blown in from Sumatra.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons: Jacklee

September 15, 2015
Haze A Concern Ahead of Singapore Grand Prx

A cloud of smog has covered the City of Singapore ahead of this weekends Singapore Grand Prix blown in by the prevailing winds from Sumatra.

The haze is a result of the farmers in neighboring Sumatra burning parts of the forest to make way for their agricultural activities.

Organizers of the Singapore Grand Prix are monitoring the situation very closely and are working with the relevant agencies before any decision is taken.

“The possibility of haze is just one of the many potential issues that are covered in the overall 2015 Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix Contingency Plan,” said a spokesperson for the Singapore GP.

“In the event that the haze causes visibility, public health or operational issues, Singapore GP will work closely with the relevant agencies before making any collective decisions regarding the event.”

The National Environment Agency (NEA) in Singapore says that the situation may worsen. An update at 19:00 Singapore time says that the “Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) was between 127-146, in the low to mid sections of the Unhealthy range”. The unhealthy range is 101-200.

In it’s update the NEA goes on to state that “the haze situation could deteriorate as the current unfavourable winds may blow in denser haze from Sumatra.”

“Thundery showers forecasted for Singapore in the late morning and early afternoon tomorrow may only bring a short temporary respite.

“The 24-hour PSI for the next 24 hours is expected to be in the mid to high sections of Unhealthy range, and may enter the low section of Very Unhealthy range if the unfavourable winds bring in denser haze from Sumatra.”

September 14, 2015