Narrow track makes qualifying first key to victory
By
Terrence Voon
These bumps on Turn 10 were highlighted as a possible danger to the cars. They have since been lowered. But spectators are still in for a thrilling weekend as the track's bumpy surface means drivers could make mistakes and crash out. -- ST PHOTO: TERENCE TAN
WHO will win Formula One's first night race? Place your bets on the driver who qualifies first today.
Following yesterday's eventful practice sessions, Renault's technical director Pat Symonds told The Straits Times that qualification will be the key to victory tomorrow.
Singapore GP
First practice
1 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren 1min 45.518sec. 2 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari +0.080sec. 3 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari +0.443. 4 Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren +0.945. 5 Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber +1.100. 6 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams +1.192. 7 Fernando Alonso Renault (Esp) Renault +1.207. 8 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber +1.446. 9 Nelson Piquet Jr (Bra) Renault +1.657. 10 Jenson Button (Gbr) Honda +1.759. 11 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Toro Rosso +2.052. 12 Kazuki Nakajima (Jpn) Williams +2.144. 13 Timo Glock (Ger) Toyota +2.188. 14 Sebastien Bourdais (Fra) Toro Rosso +2.579. 15 David Coulthard (Gbr) Red Bull +2.999. 16 Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Honda +3.207. 17 Adrian Sutil (Ind) Force India +3.321. 18 Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Force India +3.388. 19 Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota +3.546. 20Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull +8.185.
'Taking pole position and that, together with strategy, will play a larger part than pure racing on the track,' he said.
Top drivers like Ferrari's Felipe Massa and McLaren's Lewis Hamilton also agree that overtaking opportunities will be at a premium on the tight Marina Bay street circuit, which will offer little room for manoeuvring.
'Overtaking is going to be very tricky, as it is at all street circuits,' Hamilton told reporters here on Thursday.
'There will be a little bit less overtaking than at the other circuits we have. I don't think we have an edge over Ferrari. It's going to come down to qualifying.'
Ferrari's Massa also told The Straits Times earlier this week: 'Saturday will be very important.
'I've never driven on the Singapore track but it'll be even more difficult to overtake compared to Valencia, because the straights are even shorter.'
The Brazilian should know. He started from pole in Valencia, another street circuit with few overtaking chances, and won the race from start to finish.
Drivers in pole have also gone on to win six of the 14 races this season.
Renault's two-time world champion Fernando Alonso is also worried the night race will turn out to be a processional one like the Monaco GP, which was high on scenic views, but low on action.
'It will be exactly the same as Monaco,' he told SkySports. 'On this circuit, I really see no way of overtaking.'
But spectators in Singapore are unlikely to be bored, Symonds insisted.
'It's going to be hot, it's going to be humid, the track's bumpy, we're going to see drivers making mistakes,' he said.
'Those are the sort of things that will stop it being a procession I hope.'
Clocking fast qualification times will not be easy, if yesterday's spectacular practice session is anything to go by.
Two corners, in particular, may prove to be potential banana skins in tomorrow's battle for the coveted pole position.
Red Bull's Mark Webber will not forget Turn 18 in a hurry. During his fifth lap, the Australian braked late and slammed into the barriers during the left-hand turn out of the Bay Grandstand.
Turn 23, the final corner before the home stretch, also saw drivers like Rubens Barrichello of Honda run into trouble after carrying too much speed onto the turn.
Said Symonds: 'The track is very slow, very difficult to overtake, and above all, very bumpy. I don't think we've ever experienced a circuit as bumpy as this, maybe except in America in the early 80s. I think it's very, very hard on the drivers and cars.'
Wet weather tonight could further complicate qualification - especially for the Ferraris.
The Scuderia have struggled to heat up their tyres to optimum levels this season, which meant that their cars had less grip on the track compared to their rivals.
A wet track at night will lead to cooler track temperatures and that will make it even more difficult for Massa and Kimi Raikkonen to warm up their tyres.
Meanwhile, Singapore GP officials have modified the chicane on Turn 10 - just after the Padang, following complaints by drivers about the bumps on the curbs.
The high bumps are aimed at preventing the cars from taking short cuts across the chicane - a series of tight bends.
But drivers like Massa and Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel have warned that they may damage the cars should they accidentally ride up over them.
Race director Charlie Whiting inspected the turn on Thursday and the offending bumps have now been lowered and smoothed over.
But that is about the only reprieve the drivers are likely to get on a Singapore circuit that is set to make today's qualifying a rather wild ride.
