Formula 1

[EvilSpaghetti]

Street races concern Ferrari boss

Luca di Montezemolo
Di Montezemolo is unhappy with the lack of overtaking at street circuits

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has expressed his concern at the number of street circuits in Formula One.

Circuits in Valencia and Singapore have joined traditional street track Monaco on this year's F1 calendar.

But ahead of the inaugural Singapore race, Di Montezemolo said the lack of overtaking opportunities is not good for the future of the sport.

"I have the impression it will be one of those letdowns where you cannot overtake, like Valencia," he said.

The Grand Prix around the streets of Singapore on 28 September will be the first night race in the sport's history.







For once I agree with Ferrari

F1... now is it racing or follow the leader? That is what you get from street circuits yet Ecclestone and his FIA friends want to eliminate Silverstone. One of the few tracks where it is possible to overtake at different points.

[Noxide]

After their intensive test at Mugello last week, Ferrari believe they have resolved the issues which have caused both Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen to struggle for pace in wet conditions in recent races.

During the three-day session, the Italian team discovered that their lack of competiveness in the rain (seen at the British, Belgian, and most recently Italian races), was caused primarily by the car’s inability to get sufficient heat into its brakes, rather than its tyres.

“The team looked in detail at set-up work, especially in the wet conditions prevailing when Felipe was driving on the final day,” said Ferrari on their official website. “The team analysed data from the Monza weekend very carefully, which revealed that the main issue that hampered the performance of the F2008 in the rain-affected Italian GP was the difficulty in getting the brakes up to the correct operating temperature.”

“Unable to use the brakes properly, this had the knock on effect of preventing the tyres then getting up to their optimal temperature range. This was particularly noticeable in the first few laps following the fitment of the intermediate tyres. Furthermore, this situation was exacerbated when the cars were running in traffic."

As a result of their discovery, Ferrari have changed the F2008’s set-up to prevent a repeat occurrence of the drop in competitiveness.

High ambient temperatures in Singapore mean the team were not expecting problems this weekend anyway, but the breakthrough could prove crucial to their title chances should it rain - as is often does - at the cooler Chinese and Japanese races.

[Lemmings]

After their intensive test at Mugello last week, Ferrari believe they have resolved the issues which have caused both Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen to struggle for pace in wet conditions in recent races.

During the three-day session, the Italian team discovered that their lack of competiveness in the rain (seen at the British, Belgian, and most recently Italian races), was caused primarily by the car’s inability to get sufficient heat into its brakes, rather than its tyres.

“The team looked in detail at set-up work, especially in the wet conditions prevailing when Felipe was driving on the final day,” said Ferrari on their official website. “The team analysed data from the Monza weekend very carefully, which revealed that the main issue that hampered the performance of the F2008 in the rain-affected Italian GP was the difficulty in getting the brakes up to the correct operating temperature.”

“Unable to use the brakes properly, this had the knock on effect of preventing the tyres then getting up to their optimal temperature range. This was particularly noticeable in the first few laps following the fitment of the intermediate tyres. Furthermore, this situation was exacerbated when the cars were running in traffic."

As a result of their discovery, Ferrari have changed the F2008’s set-up to prevent a repeat occurrence of the drop in competitiveness.

High ambient temperatures in Singapore mean the team were not expecting problems this weekend anyway, but the breakthrough could prove crucial to their title chances should it rain - as is often does - at the cooler Chinese and Japanese races.

Does this mean they'll be quicker and do better in wet, rainy weather?

[Noxide]

Kimi Raikkonen arrived in Singapore from a trip to the Gulf states for sponsorship duties and as usual, with the most relaxed driver in the sport, the Finn did not seem at all bothered by this race weekend's unusual time table.

"For the moment, I haven't changed my sleeping habits at all, so I'll wait and see how that goes," Raikkonen said. "It's a night race, but it's not really in the middle of the night, it is more a case of an evening race, which means I am treating it as a normal weekend. I sleep when I feel like it and wake up when I feel like it."

As for the championship situation, there was little change to the Finn's usual answer over the past few weeks: "Hopefully, we can have some good results in the remaining four races and then we will see what the situation is. I am going to take it race by race, not worry about anything, hopefully have some fun and win some races. As long as I have a chance for the title race, even though I have to admit it is a small chance now, then I will be pushing as hard as I can. But the most important thing is that Ferrari wants to win both titles and we will see what is the best way to achieve that.

"

As for the circuit itself, Raikkonen was keen to get round it for his first real look at the newest venue on the calendar.

"I haven't seen the circuit yet, but yesterday I saw the lights were on around the track and it looked exactly like daylight so I am not expecting any problems from a driving point of view. I think it is nice to have something new like a night race in Formula One and I think for the spectators it will look pretty cool."

"I like evenings more than mornings so this should suit me well," he continued. "As for our car, it seems to work well wherever we go, so I have no concerns about that and tomorrow in the first practice, we will find out about the track surface and whether or not it is bumpy and adapt the car accordingly. We had a very good test in Mugello, so I am pretty confident we should be okay."

[Noxide]

The buzz of excitement in the air in Singapore is almost tangible as the first on-track action finally approaches after months of preparation for Formula One's first-ever night race.

“It looks awesome,” Red Bull’s Mark Webber said yesterday. “I think they have done a really good job with it. Obviously I was here last year having a quick look but that was very early days. I was a little bit concerned about how bumpy it would be in places as there is some reclaimed land if you like. Trying to get that consistent could have been a challenge for them but hopefully it will drive as well as it looks in terms of its surface. I think the grip level will be reasonable from the start and it looks like they have done a really good job.”

Team mate David Coulthard echoed his sentiments. “The track looks well groomed. I look forward to seeing how much it actually flows, certain parts look sort of ‘Melbournesque’ in that it is a street track but there is some reasonable run off. Was it Phoenix or Detroit, the American tracks, where you had a 90 degree right, a 90 degree left? The end of the lap looks very much like that. It is going to be an interesting combination of the two types of track. It doesn’t look like a big traction circuit. It looks more like it is a front-end type track, so it will be interesting to see how the tyres get on and whether there will be any graining or not. I am just looking forward to getting out there.”

Bridgestone have brought their soft and super-soft compound options to this race.

Despite the flowing nature of the course, McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton said he wasn’t sure what overtaking opportunities would present themselves. “My guess is as good as yours,” he offered. “It is very wide, so I am sure there is a bit more room to do so but whether or not you can close enough to people, we will find out.”

Most of the drivers are trying to stay on European time, and admit that they are spending their downtime watching movies, doing other sports such as tennis, and eating room service. Obviously, the night aspect of the race is the keenest new factor, and they are all looking forward to that.

“It’s a unique event, the lights, I think it will look spectacular, it’s going to have a different ambience, different atmosphere; everything obviously looks different under lights, so that’s the most exciting thing for me,” Webber said.

“I would agree,” Hamilton said. “It’s difficult to point out something that we just don’t know; we just don’t know what’s going to be the most exciting thing when we get out on the track. It’s just that it’s at night. We’re driving at 200 mph at night time with lights flashing in our eyes and we just have to see how we deal with that. That’s going to be most exciting thing.”

Practice tonight will give the drivers their first taste of the new venue. “Practice, on a new circuit, is always crucial, so whether it was Valencia or Turkey a few years ago or any new venue that we go to, we might do a few more laps,” Webber said, explaining the importance of the sessions. “Obviously we’ve still got a limitation on the amount of tyres that we have given to us on a Friday, so if it’s dry all day, we only have four sets of tyres to use. You always look at the balancing act between information that you’re gaining if you’re beginning to run out of a little bit of rubber or going out there and getting some knowledge on a new venue.

“There is more of a compromise compared to a place like Barcelona where we obviously know the place very, very well and we would treat track time a little bit differently. I think you will see teams pretty keen to get a bit more mileage in than on a standard circuit and also it’s potentially quite a difficult circuit in places, so that’s another reason to do a little bit more.

“There’s also one hour between the two sessions on Friday which is a little bit unusual, so we have less time to adapt the cars or change the gear ratios and things like that than we would at a conventional Grand Prix, so there are a few more things that are a little bit different.”

Only the prospect of rain has prompted the odd note of caution. “Much has been made, of course, about the Singapore Grand Prix being a night race - a whole new dimension to Formula One. It's not without its risks, however. What if there is a major downpour - not unheard of on the equator?” commented Sir Jackie Stewart, the former world champion.

“Formula One race cars, travelling at high speeds, cause considerable spray. In broad daylight, it's difficult for the drivers to see much. Add to that darkness with overhead lighting, where the prism of the light is magnified in rain, as many everyday road drivers will know from their own experience...

“At speeds of between 150 mph and 200 mph in open-wheeled cars, the plume of dense spray under lights will be challenging to say the least.”

In the early hours of Friday morning there was a very heavy tropical storm, and there is a likelihood of similar conditions each day this weekend. Much will depend on the timing of such downpours, therefore.

[Noxide]

His Renault broke.
Again.

Alonso.jpg

[Noxide]

So did the Ferrari...

Massa.jpg

[Noxide]

Here's the proof

proof.jpg

[Lemmings]

Glad to see it's not Kimi's Ferrari that broke!

[EvilSpaghetti]

Results from first practice at Singapore Grand Prix:

1 Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes one minute 45.518 seconds
2 Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari 1:45.598
3 K Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 1:45.961
4 Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren-Mercedes 1:46.463
5 Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber 1:46.618
6 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams-Toyota 1:46.710
7 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 1:46.725
8. Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 1:46.964
9. Nelson Piquet Jr (Brz) Renault 1:47.175
10. Jenson Button (GB) Honda 1:47.277
11. Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:47.570
12. Kazuki Nakajima (Jpn) Williams-Toyota 1:47.662
13. Timo Glock (Ger) Toyota 1:47.706
14. Sebastien Bourdais (Fra) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:48.097
15. David Coulthard (GB) Red Bull-Renault 1:48.517
16. Rubens Barrichello (Brz) Honda 1:48.725
17. Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India-Ferrari 1:48.839
18. Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Force India-Ferrari 1:48.906
19. Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 1:49.064
20. Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault 1:53.703

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