Drivers prepare for night race issues
Kerbs and threat of rain
25/09/08 10:17
http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/n ... 1756.shtmlMost Formula One race drivers took a stroll around the floodlit Singapore street circuit on Wednesday night.
The lighting itself did not seem to be an issue, as the barriers, road and kerbs gleamed arguably more brightly than they do when the sun is out.
But Mark Webber, who races for Red Bull, was one of a few drivers taking more than a fleeting glance at some of the high and sharp kerbs, including at the turn 13 hairpin, and the chicane at turn 10.
Webber told the local Straits Times newspaper that the kerb issue "should be looked at. The rest looks very good."
Another concern is the threat of rain, with minimally a 50 per cent likelihood every evening this week, rising to 80 per cent for Sunday's night race.
"From the point of view of the spectator, it is exciting," Fernando Alonso told the Spanish newspaper Diario Sport. "As for the drivers, we have to wait and see how it is going to be because safety is the most important issue. We have not been able to test in those conditions."
BMW Sauber driver Nick Heidfeld agrees: "Rain combined with the artificial light is the great unknown for me with this race."
GPDA chairman Pedro de la Rosa, who as McLaren's test driver will not race or drive on the circuit this weekend, played down the concerns.
"If we have enough light, it should act in the same way as if it's raining in daylight," he is quoted as saying by The Times, revealing that the drivers' pressure group has not formally brought up the matter with the FIA.
"I don't see it as dangerous," de la Rosa added.
Another issue is what effect the race's unique timing, with drivers staying in European time but staying up late and sleeping in, will have.
Some drivers, including Nico Rosberg, David Coulthard and Rubens Barrichello, have been preparing by enjoying the city's nightlife, so that they are accustomed to the challenges of working late.
World Champion Kimi Raikkonen explained: "I like to sleep until noon every day so for me this seems the perfect venue."
Former Grand Prix winner Gerhard Berger, now Toro Rosso co-owner, dismissed all the fears about the sport's first night race.
"There has been skiing under lights for years. So why not F1 ?" the Austrian told sport1.de.
Source GMM
© CAPSIS International
Massa adds voice to kerb concerns
Drivers submit issue to FIA
25/09/08 15:38
http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/n ... 3833.shtmlChampionship contender Felipe Massa has added his voice to concerns about some of the kerbing at Singapore's new Marina Bay circuit.
With lighting and visibility fears now fading, drivers - including Sebastien Bourdais and Fernando Alonso - have expressed concern about the high and harsh kerbs at the turn 13 hairpin and the chicane at turn 10.
Red Bull's Mark Webber believes the issue "should be looked at," and it is understood that FIA race director safety delegate Charlie Whiting has been alerted about the drivers' concerns.
"The kerbs are like little tortoises and if you get something wrong you wreck the car," Ferrari's Massa said on Thursday.
Alonso says Turn 10 kerbs a concern
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/70830By Jonathan Noble and Pablo Elizalde Thursday, September 25th 2008, 12:48 GMT
Fernando Alonso has voiced his concerns about the effect the bumps at Turn 10 could have during the Singapore Grand Prix weekend.
Toro Rosso's Sebastien Bourdais had already expressed worry about the tight chicane at Turn 10 and the high bumps over the kerbs that could damage a car going over them.
Renault's Alonso admitted on Thursday that he was concerned a driver's weekend could end early as a consequence of hitting the kerbs.
"It is not the best solution that they could find," said Alonso. "We worry that if you miss the chicane or miss the line then you have to go over the kerbs - and then perhaps you damage the chassis or damage the bottom.
"If you damage one car it is not a problem because you can take the T-car. But if you damage two, you go home. This is a concern at the moment.
"But I don't know what can be a better solution and I don't know if they are able to do it so quickly before tomorrow. So I don't know."
The FIA is looking at the situation, with race director Charlie Whiting having inspected the corner tonight.
Singapore organisers were also testing the backup lighting system tonight, deliberately switching off some of the lights to see how quick the backup came up.
FIA asked to look into chicane problem
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/70800By Jonathan Noble Wednesday, September 24th 2008, 10:24 GMT
The FIA has been asked by Formula One drivers to find a better solution to the problems caused by chicane cutting in the wake of the Lewis Hamilton Spa controversy.
With Hamilton having lost his appeal over the penalty he was handed for gaining an advantage by cutting a chicane in the Belgian Grand Prix, there remains some unease about the expected driver etiquette in similar situations.
Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) chairman Pedro de la Rosa thinks there has to be a better option to punish drivers for cutting chicanes, rather than the current guideline of handing back positions.
"The bottom line is that there is the need to find a better solution that keeps everyone happy," he told autosport.com. "We have spoken with Charlie (Whiting) and the FIA, and they are looking for a solution as well."
Chicane cutting has become a modern day issue because of the wide-open asphalt run off areas that now surround corners. Mistakes by drivers result in them simply running off the circuit without penalty and resuming further up the road.
De la Rosa admits there is a difficulty in finding an answer as to how to design chicanes whereby they are both safe and do not encourage drivers to cut across them.
"At the moment we have the best compromise," he said. "We all push for the asphalt run-offs, but one of the downsides of that is that you can cut corners without being penalised as much as with gravel or grass. So it's not all positive, but safety is first.
"We have that because it's the safest measure, so the second step is to make sure that if a driver jumps a chicane he gets a proper time loss so there is no controversy. That is the main objective. But the GPDA perspective is just about safety.
"I have nothing to say about jumping chicanes. We are happy with the run-off areas because we pushed for them, and now it is up to the FIA to find a solution to get proper time loss for a driver that jumps a chicane, not the GPDA."
De la Rosa does not believe that the wider use of speed bumps to hinder drivers who cut across chicanes would improve matters.
"It depends where you locate those. They should never be on the run-off areas, because it makes the car jump. But I am sure that there are other ways, or placing them in other areas. We are very happy with the asphalt, it is a massive step forward, but you cannot have all positives."
Qualifying will be crucial in Singapore
Hamilton and Massa agree
25/09/08 13:34
http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/n ... 3400.shtmlLewis Hamilton agrees with his chief championship rival Felipe Massa that qualifying for this weekend's Singapore night race will be crucial.
"I've never driven on the Singapore track, but it'll be even more difficult to overtake compared to Valencia," Brazilian Massa, who drives for Ferrari, said.
McLaren's Hamilton, one point ahead of Massa in the drivers' standings with four races to go, agrees.
"Overtaking is going to be very tricky, as it is at all street circuits," the Briton said on Thursday. "There will be a little bit less overtaking than at the other circuits we have."
"It's going to come down to qualifying."
On a dry track, Ferrari and McLaren's respective single-seaters are very closely matched for pace, and both teams now feature second drivers that are effectively racing in support.
F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone thinks Sunday's race is key to the championship battle.
"Whoever wins this, where it's Hamilton or Massa, will probably be the champion," he told the local Straits Times.
However, with the championsip standings so close and three more races to come after Singapore, anything can still happen. The season has seen its share of surprises...
D.B. © CAPSIS International
Source: GMM
James Allen's Singapore blog
Thursday, 25 September 2008 14:29
http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?Type ... n&id=44055As this is such a new event and there is so much interest, I thought I would pen an occasional blog over the course of the weekend with extra information and behind-the-scenes insight.
It’s Thursday night and everyone is still at the track, because it’s lunchtime in Europe and most people in F1 are staying on European time.
It’s a bit weird going about your daily business at night, but for anyone who has done Le Mans or journalists who have covered night-time football matches, it’s fairly normal.
My plan is to get to the track around 3pm local time each day and leave around 2am.
The problem then is that your body is telling you that it is dinner time, but your watch is saying ‘go to bed’.
Some of our TV crew were in the hotel bar last night at 2am (which is fairly normal) and David Coulthard was apparently there, ordering his dinner, as it was the only place still open! He was trying to stay up until 4am.
Apparently it is critical that the drivers eat their meals at the right time so that their energy levels are correct at the times that matter.
I’ve been here since this morning and the whole set-up here is fantastic. The people are so enthusiastic and the work they have done is impressive.
The people who built the track are the same ones who did Albert Park in Melbourne and they know what they are doing.
As I write, the safety car is doing laps, so the driver can learn the track and also to give the TV cameras a chance to follow him and make any adjustments they might need to positions and so on.
It looks great at night on TV, even though to the naked eye the track is not as brightly illuminated as I thought it might be.
I had heard it would be three times as bright as a football stadium, but it doesn’t feel that way. It’s bright enough and there are no shadows to speak of.
As part of the test they have switched off the lights in one of the fast corners and there is enough ambient light around for the drivers to see where they are going.
I’m sure that if we had a total failure of all the generators powering the lights, there would not be an accident.
The drivers would be able to slow down without hitting each other or anything else.
I’m very excited about this event. It will move F1 on a great deal.
It’s exactly the kind of innovation the sport needs and it brings it into the 21st century.
It will make going to places like the Nurburgring seem very dull and old-fashioned!
