Watch the drama unfold as Felipe Massa drives off with the fuel hose still attached to his car. This is one of the reasons why the FIA banned refueling during races.
Tag: marina bay circuit
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F1 2013: Singapore GP Review – Invincible Vettel Shatters Competitors
It has been a well-known fact for a number of years now that Red Bull cars have a leg up on the competition. However, Sebastian Vettel’s complete domination of the Singapore Grand Prix weekend will strike fear in the most resolute of hearts.
Nico Rosberg flew out of the blocks and momentarily snatched the lead of the race. However, the Mercedes driver ran slightly wide into turn one allowing Vettel the opportunity to re-take the lead of the race. Master-of-the-starts Fernando Alonso started seventh but scythed his way into third ensuring that Ferrari’s afternoon wouldn’t be as glum as previously expected.
Nevertheless, by the end of the first lap Vettel had scampered nearly two seconds clear of Rosberg and continued to pull dramatically away from the field. It looked set to be an afternoon of which Vettel would be firmly in control but a rare driver error from Daniel Ricciardo brought out the safety car mid-way through the race on lap 24. As several drivers dove into the pits the deployment of the safety car was expected to add some spice to the race at the front. Nothing could have been more unlikely.
Sebastian Vettel was able to turn a scintillating pace at the start of the 61 lap race. But as the safety car pulled into the pitlane at the end of the 31st the pace that Vettel churned was so ludicrously quick it bordered on the nigh impossible. To conclusively prove that there was no one near the level of Vettel this weekend the three-time champ pulled out a mind-boggling twenty seconds in nine laps over second placed Nico Rosberg.
Overtaking manoeuvres on a street track are usually at a premium and Singapore was no exception. Nevertheless, Kimi Raikkonen managed to pull off some audacious moves regardless. Despite back pain, which required a cortisone injection before the race, Raikkonen delivered an amazing drive from thirteenth on the grid to third. Teammate Romain Grosjean was on for a decent haul of points but an air consumption issue brought an end to his race.
Only Vettel, Webber, the two Mercedes and Grosjean elected not to pit with the deployment of the safety car. This left Fernando Alonso in second, Raikkonen battling with Button for third and Perez, Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Gutierrez on course for some championship points. Alonso and Raikkonen were able to nurse their medium compound tyres to the end but the McLarens and Saubers were struggling for grip towards the closing stages of the race.
It was Raikkonen who opened the overtaking floodgates with a brilliant move around the outside of turn 14 on Jenson Button. Mark Webber, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, all on much fresher rubber, made short work of the McLarens and Saubers and Felipe Massa fought his way into sixth behind the Mercedes duo.
Webber looked on course for a potential podium finish but was forced into retirement on the final lap with a gearbox issue. The Australian hitched a ride back to the pits with friend Alonso but with hindsight may have elected to take a stroll back to the garage. Webber has been given a ten place grid penalty as this is his third reprimand. Ultimately, the penalty is a bit harsh considering that it provided the fans with a moment worth remembering.Jenson Button came close to the scoring McLaren’s first podium of the season but ultimately came home in seventh ahead of teammate Sergio Perez in eight. Nico Hulkenberg earned a welcome two points for Sauber with a ninth place finish ahead of Force India’s Adrian Sutil in tenth. Paul di Resta had been in the fight for the minor points but crashed his Force India six laps from the chequer.
Many criticize Sebastian Vettel and declare that the only explanation for his success is the Red Bull. His pace defies logic; many drivers in the fastest cars on the grid couldn’t deliver the same stunning pace. Sebastian Vettel was not in a class of his own this weekend; he was on a whole different planet. To lap nearly two and a half seconds per lap faster is mind-blowing and reminiscent of greats like Senna and Schumacher. That is class.Red Bull sent a deafening, crystal-clear, message to their competitors – there is not even the slightest of hints that they will be relaxing their grip on this title fight. The pace of Sebastian Vettel this weekend was truly stupendous and at this stage of the game, with a 60 point lead, it is becoming more and more difficult to imagine anyone other than him grasping the world championship trophy at the end of the season.
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2013 Formula 1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix Free Practice 2 Report
The preparations for Sunday’s Singapore grand prix kicked off today with three hours of free practice around the floodlit Marina Bay circuit.
The first free practice session was topped by the 2009 winner of the Singapore GP, Lewis Hamilton. However, free practice two is where Sebastian Vettel stamped his, and Red Bull’s authority, quite ominously.
The three-time reigning world champion dominated the timing sheets for the majority of the session. Vettel not only set a time six tenths of a second quicker than teammate Mark Webber but more stunningly a full second faster than the Mercedes duo of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton. Vettel’s closest rival in the world championship fight, Fernando Alonso, managed the 6th quickest time.
An initial flurry of activity had the entire field out on the red walled supersoft tyres simulating a qualifying run. The difference between the two compounds ranged from eight tenths of a second up to 1.4 seconds in the case of Mark Webber. Lotus’ Kimi Raikkonen was the only driver who elected not to run a quali sim instead focusing on the set-up and long run pace of the E21.
A few minor excursions included both Mark Webber and Felipe Massa kissing the wall towards the end of the lap. Both these driver’s escaped without damage to their cars but Pastor Maldonado wasn’t as lucky. The Williams driver spent the majority of the session sliding his car around perilously close to the barriers; unfortunately for the Venezuelan it was one slide too many as he lost his front wing after skidding into the barriers. In his defence, the Williams looked a right handful from the moment it left the pitlane. Romain Grosjean reported to his team that he had “hit something” and that he had lost the brakes.
As the session settled in so the driver’s got on with the task of evaluating their long run pace. The differing fuel loads in the various cars is privileged information but irrespective of this knowledge the Red Bull looked on rails around the Marina Bay circuit. More importantly, was Vettel’s ability to set metronomically consistent lap times.
It’s early days yet in this race weekend but Red Bull again look the odds on favourite to feature prominently. Nevertheless, some of the best qualifying laps that has been seen this season has come from Lewis Hamilton. The Brit may yet find something overnight and should be a good bet for a front row starting position if not a stolen pole.
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2013 Formula 1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix Free Practice 1 Report
Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time of the first free practice session for the Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit
Mercedes look to be back on top after the first free practice session with Lewis Hamilton setting the quickest time of the session with a 1:47.055. Red Bull’s Mark Webber finished P2 with a 1:47.420, 0.365s slower than Hamilton’s time. Webber’s team mate, Sebastian Vettel finished the session in P3, 0.830s slower than Hamilton’s P1 time. Nico Rosberg, and Lotus’ Kimi Raikkonen rounded up the top 5 in P4 and P5 respectively.
As expected, Mercedes and Red Bull are looking very strong so far. Ferrari and Lotus are quite a long way behind and its going to take something special from them to get ahead of Red Bull and Mercedes.
With this being FP1, we’ll get a better gauge of pace after FP2 later this afternoon.
You can join us for updates throughout the FP2 session later on.
Below is the full time sheet for the FP1 session:
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Virtual lap of Singapore (Marina Bay) with Fernando Alonso
Take a virtual lap around the Marina Bay circuit in Singapore with Fernando Alonso.
